Meghalaya government approves draft power policy

An ‘Efficient Transmission System’ to develop power projects through Hydro, Thermal, Pumped Storage, Solar, Wind and ensure its efficiency in a sustainable manner has been incorporated

The Meghalaya government on Monday approved the Draft Power Policy of Meghalaya 2024 with an aim to address the power situation in the state.

The government is planning to prioritise promotion of renewable energy to encourage and promote its development. (Representative file photo)

Addressing media persons after the cabinet meeting, power minister Abu Taher Mondal said, “We have discussed the new power policy in a thorough manner and cabinet has approved the new power policy.”

“14 years have elapsed and there have been big changes in the power scenario, so we needed a new power policy”, he added.

An ‘Efficient Transmission System’ to develop power projects through Hydro, Thermal, Pumped Storage, Solar, Wind and ensure its efficiency in a sustainable manner has been incorporated in the draft policy.

The government is planning to prioritise promotion of renewable energy to encourage and promote its development, while diligently addressing environmental issues in line with the requirement of the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change to ensure ‘Sustainable Environment Initiatives’.

The policy also put forward the need to form the ‘State Power Trading’ company (SPTC) with the objective to execute power purchase agreements, undertake short-term purchase on behalf of State Distribution Utility, undertake PPA with new renewable Power Plants in the state and Management of the power in efficient manner, to encourage and promote the development of renewable energy and to address the environmental issues in line with the requirement of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.

SPTC will execute power purchase agreements, undertake short-term purchase on behalf of state distribution utility, and undertake PPA with new renewable power plants in the state and manage the power more efficiently.

The policy said that a state level committee to be headed by the power minister will be constituted to overlook the process of clearances and development of all power projects in the state.

The committee will engage in identification of the projects, facilitating government land transfer/lease, facilitation in arriving at agreement between Private land owner and developer.

Meghalaya has a hydro power potential estimated at nearly 3000 MW but with the present State Power Generation Corporation Limited has been able to harness only 13% of the available potential. The power potential harnessed so far is only 378 MW with another 3 MW under implementation.

The draft policy also acknowledged that there has been tremendous growth in wind power projects across the nation with the national installed capacity of wind power touching 44.73 GW in December 2023.

Thus, a four-pronged strategy has been proposed by way of participation of Central, State, Private Sectors & Joint Ventures. This participation shall be through open bidding/MOA Route.