HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, June 14: The construction of a 1,000-mw capacity solar power plant in Karbi Anglong will begin shortly.
Informing this today, Chief Minister Himanata Biswa Sarma said “The 120-Mw Lower Kapili Hydropower project, on the other hand, has started yielding electricity. The state will be able to produce around 3,000-Mw of solar generated electricity by 2030,”
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Sarma said this in a public meeting after laying the foundation stone for a 25-Mw capacity solar power generation project at the premises of the Namrup Thermal Power Station in Dibrugarh district.
A joint venture collaboration between the Assam Power Generation Corporation and Oil India Limited, the project will be spread across 108 acres of land and is likely to cost Rs 115 crore in project cost.
The solar project, approved by the state cabinet on August 19, 2022, is projected to produce 50 million units of electricity every year and its construction is expected to be completed by July 2025.
Sarma said that when he was sworn-in as chief minister in 2021, the peak-hour demand of electricity in the state stood at 1800 Mw but the same has now increased to 2500 Mw owing to the increased number of industries and electrification of un-electrified villages across the state.
“The state, on its own, produces a mere 419 Mw power resulting in purchase of around 2100 Mw of power on a daily basis,” he said.
Sarma said that initiatives such as the solar power project at Namrup would augment the state’s power generation capacity and will contribute greatly towards reducing reliance on power purchased from outside the state.
Stating that till date, a total of seven solar power projects are functional in the state, the chief minister said these account for 175 Mw of daily power generation.
He further added that the upcoming power plants in Sonitpur district’s Barchalla and Dhubri district’s Khudigaon are at various stages of development.
Referring to the Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana that was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister appealed to the eligible households of the state to opt for it to bring down their power consumption expenses.
Today’s event was also attended by ministers of Assam Cabinet Bimal Bora, Sanjoy Kishan, former Union minister Rameswar Teli, members of Assam Legislative Assembly Prashanta Phukan, Taranga Gogoi, Terash Gowalla, Binod Hazarika, Chakradhar Gogoi, along with a host of dignitaries.
