By IANS,
Agartala : Norway has agreed to share its power technology and supervision methods with India’s electricity-starved northeastern states, Tripura Power Minister Manik Dey said here Wednesday.
The statement comes after last week’s visit to Norway by the power ministers of the seven northeastern states to explore how a power stock exchange could be set up for the region, apart from picking up tips on power marketing and ensuring energy efficiency.
“Norway has assured us it would provide power technology to us,” Dey told newsmen after returning from the Scandinavian nation.
“Transmission and distribution loss of power in India is 35 to 40 percent while in Norway it is less than 10 percent,” Dey added to explain the interest in Norway.
The Norwegian government has also agreed to provide technology to minimise transmission and distribution loss, electricity theft and improve power supply, he said.
Norway has the world’s largest per capita hydropower production. Nord Pool, the power stock exchange that has interested the northeastern states, is the single power market for Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland and is headquartered in Norway.
The ministerial delegation was headed by Assam Power Minister Pradut Bordoloi, who is also the chairman of the North Eastern Regional Power Committee, the region’s policy making body for energy.
“We have studied their (Norway’s) power exchange and power marketing system, integrated grid operation, and energy efficiency initiatives,” Dey said, and added that senior officials from the region would visit Norway to finalise the technicalities.
According to the state-owned North Eastern Electric Power Corp (Neepco), the northeastern region has the potential to generate nearly 59,000 MW of hydropower, or about 40 percent of the country’s total hydropower potential.
“In spite of huge potential, the region ranks lowest in the country in terms of per capita energy consumption. This has been mainly due to inhospitable climatic conditions, remote location and inaccessibility of geographical locations,” a Neepco document says.
“Out of the region’s 58,971 MW hydro power potential, less than 2 percent (1,095 MW) has so far been harnessed,” it added.