Power woes in Mokokchung are expected to soon become a thing of the past as the execution of the North Eastern Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) is progressing smoothly albeit facing some initial glitches. Under the scheme, a 2×10 MVA project at Mokokchung Powerhouse, Salangtem Ward and another 2×5 MVA at IMDH Medical Colony is being implemented by Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID).
A representative of the POWERGRID told Mokokchung Times that the construction works of the 2×5 MVA project at Medical Colony is already complete and that the ongoing construction works of the 2×10 MVA project at Salangtem will be completed within a month or two.
Both of the 10 MVA power transformers for the Salangtem powerhouse, each weighing 20 tons, reached Mokokchung last week and workers were seen installing them Sunday evening at the newly developed site. It may be recalled that the project nearly got ‘desanctioned’ by the central Ministry of Power after the project got delayed due to an unresolved land acquisition issue. With the intervention of the All Ward Union Mokokchung Town, the land issue was resolved with the landowner. Subsequently, the State Land Acquisition Authority (SLAA) of the Government of Nagaland approved the acquisition of the land on October 6, 2021.
The Ministry of Power had on November 1, 2021 communicated to the Government of Nagaland for the short-closure of the project citing land issue. The project was supposed to be completed by December 31, 2021. However, with the intervention of the state government including the chief minister, short-closure of the project by the Ministry of Power was retracted.
About the project:
North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSlP) is a major step towards meeting the national objective of “Power to All” through enhancement in access of consumers to grid connected power supply through improving its availability and reliability, thereby facilitating inclusive growth.
The scheme was approved by the union cabinet chaired by PM Modi for six States (Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland) in 2014 to strengthen the Intra State Transmission and Distribution System at an estimated cost of Rs.5111.33 crore including capacity building expenditure of Rs.89 crore.
The scheme is a new Central Sector Plan Scheme of Ministry of Power (MoP) which is to be implemented with the assistance of World Bank loan and the budget of MoP. The project is funded on 50:50 (World Bank loan: Gol) basis except the component of capacity building for Rs.89 crore for which GoI will bear entirely.
Due to the continued weakness of the Intra-State Transmission and Distribution systems in the North-Eastern States, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) developed a comprehensive plan for the North East Region (NER) in consultation with the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) and the relevant State Governments.
Moreover, it was necessary to provide 132 KV / 220 KV connectivity to all six NER States for proper voltage management and lower distribution losses in order to close the gap between the need and availability of the intra-state transmission and distribution system.
This shall also increase the per capita power consumption of these States, which is lagging behind the average national consumption and shall contribute to the economic development of the North-Eastern Region.
The project, after its commission, will be owned and maintained by the State Government.
