Tripura now exporting power to Nepal: DyCM

Power surplus state, Tripura in now exporting electricity to Nepal, Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Devvarma said Wednesday.

Devvarma who is also the Power minister said "We have been selling 190 MW power to Bangladesh for last so many years and now we have started exporting 40 MW power to Nepal from our surplus power since April last".

"The proceeds earned from selling surplus power is being used for developing the state power corporation," the deputy chief minister said.

ONGC Tripura Power Company-run Palatana gas thermal power plant produces 726 MW power. However, this plant has power sharing agreements with different NE states.

The Union Ministry of Power has allocated more than 58 per cent of power from the project to the Northeast states with Assam (240 MW), Tripura (196 MW), Meghalaya (79 MW), Manipur (42 MW), Nagaland (27 MW), Arunachal Pradesh & Mizoram (22 MW each), while 98 MW is allocated to OTPC for merchant sales.

The Rs 4,047 crore power plant is capable of injecting 8.7 million units per day in the power grid which can be beneficial for the entire Northeast region.

A 400 KV double circuit transmission network which is 661 km in length has been created from Palatana power project up to Bongaigaon in Assam through a special purpose vehicle called North-East Transmission Company Limited (NETCL) to evacuate power from the plant.

Tripura generates 115 MW power from its own power generation units including Rukhia Gas Thermal Power plants, Baramura Thermal Power plants and Gomati hydro-electric power plant.

Tripura also has got two thermal power projects run by NEEPCO.

These include a 130 MW power plant at Ramchandranagar in West Tripura and a 100 MW power plant at Manarchak in Sepahijala district.

As per Power department statistics, Tripura currently needs around 300 MW power daily for its domestic consumers.

Devvarma said, after the BJP-IPFT government came to power one and half years ago the state government has provided 1.36 lakh new power connections under Saubhagya scheme.

A new scheme called 'Apnar Dorgoray' (At Your Doorstep) was also launched recently to provide uninterrupted power services 24x7 to consumers.

Devvarma said the state government is now laying importance on generating solar power and plans are afoot to convert the state secretariat, Assembly, High Court and other major government offices to fully solar-powered.