Power lines upgraded to 1000 MVA
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 27 2019: Power Minister and Government spokesman Th Biswajit has claimed that many 400 KV, 33 KV and 132 KV power lines have been upgraded to 1000 MVA in order to improve power supply in the State.

Speaking to media persons today, Biswajit said that the BJP-led Government which is not even two years old has so far commissioned 18 power sub-stations including 10 sub-stations of 33 KV, seven sub-stations of 132 KV and one sub-station of 400 KV.

While acknowledging the efforts made by the previous Government to improve power supply in the State, Biswajit informed that tender for construction of 13 new power sub-stations has been already uploaded on relevant websites.

The Government has been working to complete construction of one power sub-station each at Wangoi, Heirok, Wangjing and Yairipok under IPDS by February and commission them in the first week of March, he said.

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Saubhagya Yojana which is aimed at electrifying each and every village of the country, Leishang village was electrified recently.

However, there was a report that power lines were found missing at Chatrik Khullen even though it was claimed that the village had been electrified.

Clarifying to the media report, the Power Minister said that Leishang village was electrified through connection to power grid while Chatrik Khullen was electrified off grid or without stringing wires.

Off grid electrification is a component of Saubhagya Yojana and Chatrik Khullen would be also connected to power grid in future, Biswajit said.

Categorically stating that mini hydro projects are the most suitable mode of power generation in the State, Biswajit informed that the State Government has been working to draw investors from outside the State to this sector as the State Government does not have financial capacity to take up such projects on its own.

Saying that a number of investors would come to Imphal within the first half of February, Biswajit said that the State Government would make all efforts to persuade them to invest in mini hydro power projects in the State which would generate 50/60 MW.

Mini hydro projects which can generate 5 MW to 25 MW can be taken up at 25 different places across the State.

At present, the State requires around 205 MW of power but the excess power can always be exported, said the Power Minister.

He went on to claim that the ATC (aggregate technical and commercial) loss declined from 40 per cent to 28.81 per cent since the new Government was installed.

As a result, power purchase has come down from Rs 172 crore to Rs 122 crore thereby enhancing the State's revenue by R 50 crore.

In terms of power transmission, Manipur has the best system in the entire North East.

At the same time, the State's power distribution system has also been making rapid improvement, he said.

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