Palatana power project to start generation by June

AGARTALA: ONGC-Tripura Power Corporation's ( OTPC) 726-MW gas-based thermal power project at Palatana in South Tripura district would start generation by June, the state assembly was informed today.

State Power Minister Manik Dey in a statement said the Chairman of Bharat Heavy Electricals ( BHEL) and Chairman of Oil and Natural Gas Company (ONGC) in a meeting with Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on April 9 last stated that commercial production would be possible by June this year.

BHEL was entrusted with the responsibility of installing the machines and turbines for the power project.

Dey said that experimental production (363.66 MW) of the first unit of the project started in October last but following identification of some mechanical problems on February 15 last experimental productions were stopped.

"Faults were repaired and the trial run for the commercial production would start from the first week of May", he said.

Dey said, work for installing 400 KV double circuit line for drawing power from Palatana project to Bangaigaon for connecting with the national grid has started and added drawing of line was completed upto Barnihat in Meghalaya.

On completion of the project, Assam would get 240 MW, Meghalaya 79 MW, Manipur 42 MW, Nagaland 27MW, Mizoram 22 MW, Arunachal 22 MW and Tripura 196 MW.

De said, Tripura needs 240 MW every day and can produce 90 MW and the deficit is bought from other states.

Following production from Palatana project, Tripura was likely to be a power surplus state, he said.