Northeast power ministers call for gas price cut
May 7th, 2011 - 9:52 pm ICT by IANS
Agartala, May 7 (IANS) The power-starved northeastern states have urged the central government to reduce the prices of natural gas being used in various power projects of the region, a Tripura minister said Saturday.
The power ministers of the eight northeastern states under the aegis of North Eastern Regional Power Committee (NERPC) met in Kolkata Thursday and Friday and decided to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister S. Jaipal Reddy in New Delhi soon.
“The northeast power ministers would ask the central leaders that unless the government reduces the gas price, the people of the region would be burdened with heavy electricity tariff,” Tripura Power and Transport Minister Manik Dey told IANS by phone from Kolkata.
“Over 48 percent of the total electricity is generated from the gas-based thermal power projects in the northeastern region,” he said.
According to Dey, the petroleum and natural gas ministry had hiked the price of natural gas by 117 percent from Rs.2,112 per 1,000 standard cubic metre (SCM).
“The 117 percent hike of natural gas would raise the power tariff automatically, causing huge inconvenience to the consumers,” Dey said.
The memorandum to be submitted by the NERPC to the central ministers would highlight that the growth of power sector in the region is already constrained because of severe transmission and distribution bottlenecks and inadequate infrastructure.
Headed by Meghalaya Power Minister A.T.Mondal, the NERPC would also ask the central government and state owned power companies to improve and extend the power transmission lines across the region and in between the region and the rest of the country.
Dey said: “Currently the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has been unilaterally taking various decisions, including raising of tariff of power being generated by the various power companies. They should take into account the opinion of the governments of the region.”
“A transmission linkage through Bangladesh also needs to be explored for evacuation of electricity from the 726 MW Palatana power project, being commissioned by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC),” the minister said, referring the deliberations of the two-day meeting of the NERPC.
Power generation would expected to start from the first unit (363 MW) of the power project, biggest ever thermal power plant in northeast India, in December this year.
- Power project commissioned in Tripura - Sep 21, 2010
- Northeast asks centre to reduce gas prices - Aug 29, 2010
- Tripura to provide electricity in all hamlets by 2013 - Jan 23, 2012
- Northeastern India's largest power project to ease electricity woes - Nov 21, 2011
- Northeast power ministers to meet PM on power deficit - Aug 12, 2010
- India seeks $2.5 bn World Bank aid for power projects - Jun 20, 2011
- Revised cost for Tripura power project gets nod - Jan 28, 2011
- Power crisis grips northeast India: Tripura minister - May 10, 2012
- NEEPCO project in Tripura to run by water, thermal heat - Dec 25, 2010
- Tripura seeks Rs.11 bn World Bank aid to improve power scenario - Jun 21, 2011
- Northeast to generate 5,000 MW more in next few years - Jul 07, 2011
- ONGC's first commercial power project to start next year - Oct 24, 2010
- India to add 65,000 MW power in 12th plan - Jan 02, 2011
- Six firms keen to partner ONGC for Tripura fertilizer plant - Apr 12, 2012
- ONGC project to help end northeast's power crisis - Aug 21, 2010
Tags: central electricity regulatory commission, central leaders, cubic metre, electricity regulatory commission, electricity tariff, inadequate infrastructure, jaipal reddy, manmohan singh, northeastern region, northeastern states, power committee, power minister, power projects, power tariff, power transmission lines, price of natural gas, prime minister manmohan, prime minister manmohan singh, sushil kumar, sushil kumar shinde