Department of Power Nagaland (DoPN) has informed that the shortage of power in the State has reached an alarming stage due to hydro generating stations not being able to generate to its full potential. In a press release, Engineer-in-Chief, Department of Power, Er. Moa Aier has, therefore, requested all the consumers to not only use electricity judiciously, but also diligently cooperate with the department for prompt payments of their monthly electricity bills.
The department stated that several thermal power stations in the region had also taken shut-down for maintenance, which has added to the acute power shortage. As North East Region is largely dependent upon hydro power, the department said that shortages were a perennial problem during the lean seasons every year. However, it said that the shortages had been much more acute this year.
The department stated that the shutdown of a major thermal power station for maintenance has worsened the power availability situation. It informed that availability and supply had been increasing every year, but the rate of increase in demand was much more. The department pointed out that the peak demand of the State during the 1990s was only about 60MW, but now the peak demand has increased by 300% to 180MW. However, it said that the availability was about 100MW only during the peak hours. Correspondingly, it said the cost of power purchase was also increasing year by year.
The department informed that all the village councils have been requested through the district administration to help and assist the power department to clear all vegetation such as trees and bamboos near power transmission and distribution lines, as maximum interruptions were caused by such vegetations.
At present, the department said that the state was dependent 90% on import of power.
Therefore, the department has appealed that no organization(s) should disrupt power installations as it would only lead to more power instability. For a long-term solution, the department said it was in the process of initiating several hydropower generation projects within the State including new transmission and distribution lines and sub-stations for better power service.
Further, the department keeping in mind the HSLC and HSSLC examinations was taking all measures to improve the power stability and ensure stable supply. Therefore, though at a much higher rate than the power which the State buys under long term purchase agreements, the state government has allowed the purchase of additional power from the spot market from outside the NE region on emergency basis.
However, it said that additional power in the spot market was not always readily available and availability vary from time to time. The department, therefore, said it was making all efforts to buy as per availability on the spot market to ease the power situation in the State.
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