Agartala: Tripura Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath has announced that a Pumped Storage Project (PSP) with a generation capacity of 800 MW will be set up in the state.
The first of its kind in the Northeast region, the project will be set up by the National Hydro Power Corporation of India (NHPC), following the earlier 900 MW Bagmundi PSP in Purulia in West Bengal.
Participating in the 29th North Eastern Region Power Committee meeting held in Guwahati on Friday, Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath said that the NHPC would set up this pumped power storage plant in Dhalai district.
He said that the Pumped Storage Projects would be set up in the state as per the guidelines of the Union Ministry of Power.
The Power Minister also played a pivotal role in preventing a proposed hike in gas prices for the OTPC Palatana power project, a move that would have imposed a financial burden on all Northeastern states. His strong opposition led to the rejection of the proposal.
“If implemented, this would have imposed a huge financial burden on consumers not only in Tripura but across the entire northeastern region as electricity being supplied from the project in most of the northeastern states,” the minister said.
“Due to my strong stance, the North Eastern Power Committee was compelled to reject the proposal, relieving not only Tripura but all the northeastern states of India from a huge financial burden,” Nath said.
Nath highlighted Tripura’s clean energy efforts, noting the installation of 45,000 solar street lights, 4,900 solar pumps, 215 micro-grids, and rooftop/off-grid solar projects totaling 26 MW of generation capacity.
Under an Rs 2,275 crore MoU with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the state will renovate the Rokhia and Doombur power projects, doubling their capacity and improving efficiency.
The minister also stated that integrating battery energy storage systems with renewable energy would ensure the availability of power during peak hours by utilising surplus renewable energy generated during daytime and off-peak hours.
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“The Central Government has taken several landmark initiatives in the power sector. These reforms have transformed the sector with a focus on providing affordable electricity to all,” Nath stated.
