Govt mulls mini hydropower projects, solar parks

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jan 28 : Power Minister Th Biswajit has stated that Manipur provides the largest power subsidy to consumers in North East India.
He made the statement after launching Demand Side  Management Measures Implementation under Capacity  Building of Discoms at Hotel Imphal today.
Speaking at the function as the chief guest, Biswajit continued that the  Manipur Government spends around Rs 371 crore on purchasing power and providing subsidies to the consumers annually.
Saying that the Power Department has been putting  in efforts to provide uninterrupted power supply to consumers, the Minister appealed to the people to use low power consuming electrical appliances and equipment to reduce energy consumption and pave a way for a more sustainable future.
He also appealed to the people, especially those who own or operate business ventures, to clear electricity bills on time.
There are many people who habitually don't pay power bills, the Minister added.
Saying that there are reports of private sport infra- structure (astro turf grounds) engaging in power theft by colluding with officials, the Minister added that the Government will start inspecting power theft.
The Government procures around 270 megawatt of power annually as the demand of electricity increases in Manipur, he said and added that initiative is underway to promote rene-wable energy sources, parti- cularly wind and solar power.
Saying that power is a vital sector that plays a crucial role in the economic growth and development, the Minister maintained that power generation capacity of Manipur, however, is very low.
He said that Loktak Project generates only about 12 per cent of State's power requirement.
The Government is considering setting up mini hydro projects at 29 different sites by digging tunnels, Biswajit said and added that infrastructure development at 12 of these sites may begin soon.
He said that Manipur may generate extra 120 MW of power once the 12 mini hydro projects start functioning.
The State's power requirement is 270 MW, he said.
The Minister went on to state that the Government is working to construct two solar parks in Manipur to produce 50 MW of power.
Power Commissioner Dr Shailesh Kumar Chourasia, MANIREDA Director N Praveen Singh and Managing Director of MSPDCL H Shantikumar also attended the  programme jointly organised by MSPDCL and Green Tree Global Firm.