Kohima, 1 March (MTNews): The Minister in charge of power KG Kenye while responding to a starred question in the ongoing assembly revealed the state-owned hydroelectric projects currently generate a maximum of 6-7MW for 10 hours today. The Minister informed that the peak demand of power in the state is 180MW, while the state’s generation during the monsoon is 21MW and the average generation during the lean season is 7MW. He also acknowledged that the average shortfall ranges from 14.1MW to 60.5MW.
Explaining the cause of the erratic power supply, the Minister in charge noted that the average availability of power from inter-state generating stations and state-owned generation stations is only 138MW during the monsoon and 110MW during the lean season which is significantly lower than the peak demand.
Additionally, the Minister explained that the hydro generating stations are unable to meet their full potential during the lean hydro season (December to April), and several thermal power stations in the region undergo shutdowns for maintenance, reducing the central sector allocation for the state.
The Minister also highlighted inadequate infrastructure in transmission and distribution systems as a contributing factor to the power supply issues. “Outdated and overloaded transmission and distribution infrastructure further exacerbate the problem of erratic power supply in the state,” he added.
In this regard, MLA Küzholuzo Nienu advocated for the exploration of using thermal and solar energy to address the power shortage in the state.