Agartala: Tripura Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath has urged for the re-launch of the Power System Development Fund in the North Eastern states.
At the recent North Eastern Power Ministers' conference held in Guwahati, Tripura's Power Minister, Ratan Lal Nath, appealed to the Central Government for enhanced cooperation in the state's power infrastructure reform and development.
Drawing the attention of Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who was present at the meeting, Nath underscored the drastic increase in gas prices purchased from GAIL for power generation. He said until 2022, the cost of gas was $2.90 per MMBTU, with a 40% subsidy for North Eastern states reducing it to $1.74 per MMBTU. However, from 2022, the price surged to $6.10 per MMBTU and has now reached $6.50 per MMBTU. Nath requested the Union Ministries of Power and Petroleum to consider reducing gas prices to alleviate the financial burden on the state.
At the same time, he requested the Power Grid Corporation of India to consider including the CBIS component in the NERPSIP Project for setting up a state-of-the-art training center in Tripura. Minister Nath also highlighted several infrastructure projects and requested the Union Ministry of Power to bear all costs for the 400 KV Substation in Suryamaninagar.
The Minister asked for central funding to cover Tripura's intra-state transmission needs until 2030, estimated at around Rs 1000 crore. Nath emphasized the importance of the National Hydro Power Corporation's pump storage project in Longtorai subdivision, with an 800 MW power generation capacity. He called for the speedy completion of this project and highlighted ongoing preparations of PFR and DPR.
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