The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has cleared the ground for creating the power evacuation facility of the upcoming 727 MW ONGC Tripura Power (OTPC) at Palatana in Tripura.
The Rs 1,800-crore transmission project - connecting the generation facility to the National grid 661 km away at Bongaigaon in Assam - is running far behindschedule.
The first 363.3 MW unit of Rs 3,500-crore gas-based generation facility is expected to be operational in a fortnight.
The second (and final) unit may be commissioned in three months. Considering the low demand for power in the North-Eastern region; the transmission line holds the key to commercial success of OTPC and monetisation of idle gas assets of ONGC in Tripura.
“The Ministry has recently granted final clearance for laying the transmission facility through the states of Tripura, Meghalaya and Assam,” an OTPC source told Business Line . The transmission project is implemented by North-East Power Transmission Company — a joint venture between OTPC, Power Grid and the beneficiary States.
Seasonal hurdles
Though the Centre has granted a go-ahead; sources fear that commissioning of the first phase of the transmission facility from Palatana to Silchar covering 246 km may be affected due to the early arrival of monsoon.
“Of a total of 600 towers to be installed on the stretch, only 13 were struck in forest logjam. Most of such locations are up the hill and equipment needs to be carried in head-loads. Rains made the job difficult,” a source said.
With generation from the first unit expected to stabilise in July-August, the company is hopeful of completing the phase-I work in time.
Trouble, however, is likely once OTPC commissions the second 363 MW unit expectedly in September, as the 415 km Sinchar-Bongaigaon section which will cross Brahmaputra – one of the major rivers in Asia – is inordinately delayed.
The company, therefore, is banking on completion of the 122-km Silchar (Asam)-Byrnihat (Meghalaya) stretch of the transmission project, to tap more local demand by the end of the year.