By IANS
Kolkata : The northeastern states should beef up their hydroelectric power potential and use the untapped gas and oil reservoirs in the region, Union Power Secretary Anil Razdan said Tuesday.
“The capacity addition has not been very impressive in the northeast. We have set a target of adding 5,600 MW of power in the northeast. If bottlenecks can be removed satisfactorily, over 30,000 MW of power can be added to the region through hydro and other resources,” Razdan said here addressing North East Powermart 2007, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).
He said almost Rs.500 billion investments – including Rs.280 billion in ongoing power projects – were waiting to come to the northeast in the 12th Five-Year Plan.
Speaking on opportunities of power generation, Razdan asked the northeastern states not to go in for expensive power generation schemes.
The North East Powermart 2007, focussing on the opportunities of power generation, was organised to review and take stock of the central and state government proposals to increase power capacities and distribution networks by 2012.
Assam Power Minister Pradyut Bordoloi said that Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will build a 740 MW gas-based power plant in Tripura while National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) will set up a 750 MW thermal power plant at Bongaigaon.