GUWAHATI, July 16 - The Power Grid Corporation of India Limited is implementing a Rs 8,300-crore project jointly funded by the World Bank and Central Government to revamp the transmission and distribution network in the northeastern region.
The work in Arunachal Pradesh will be entirely funded by the Central Government. In the other six states, the funding pattern will be 50:50 between the Centre and the World Bank, a top Powergrid official told The Assam Tribune.
Called the North East Region Power System Improvement Plan, the project envisages setting up of three substations in Guwahati, including one in Amingaon, another near Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute and the third at Bhangagarh.
�As the states do not have the technical expertise, the Central Government has asked the Powergrid to execute the project. It is a five-year project, but we expect to complete it by three/four years. Technical work on the ground has already begun,� the official said.
As part of the project, old distribution lines will be either strengthened or replaced, depending on their condition. New substations will be set up and transformers upgraded.
�We feel that once the project is executed, there would not be any infrastructural hiccups for the next twenty years. It would be a boost to the industry sector,� the official said, adding that the transmission and distribution losses would also be minimized by the project.
There has been a lot of hue and cry of late following electrocution of people by damaged old power supply lines, especially in Guwahati city.
Assam has miserably failed to check the aggregate technical and commercial losses which is around 29 per cent today. Much of it has been blamed on the ageing distribution lines. But Powergrid officials said half of it is incurred due to theft.
The peak power demand in the State currently is around 1,500 MW. However, its own generation capacity is only around 250 MW a day.
