NHPC to establish Northeast’s first 800 MW Pumped Storage Project in Tripura

In a move to generate more power in Tripura, a Pumped Storage Project (PSP) with a generation capacity of 800 MW of power would be commissioned in the state, the first such project in the entire northeast region, Tripura Power Minister said on Friday.

Tripura’s Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath after participating in the 29th North Eastern Region Power Committee meeting held in Guwahati on Friday said that the Union government-run National Hydro Power Corporation of India (NHPC) would set up this pumped power storage plant in Tripura’s Dhalai district.

As per the guidelines of the Union Ministry of Power, Pumped Storage Projects would be set up in the state, he stated.

A day earlier, in the Technical Committee meeting, a proposal was made to increase the gas price for the OTPC Palatana power project in southern Tripura.

“If implemented, this would have imposed a huge financial burden on consumers not only in Tripura but across the entire northeastern region as electricity being supplied from the project in most of the northeastern states,” the Minister said.

However, Power Minister Nath on Friday’s meeting strongly opposed the proposal, stating that it was not only unreasonable but also against the public interest. He said the burden of crores of rupees in additional expenditure would fall on the people, which was unacceptable.

“Due to my strong stance, the North Eastern Power Committee was compelled to reject the proposal relieving not only Tripura but all the northeastern states of India from a huge financial burden,” Nath said.

The Tripura Power Minister said that the union government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is committed to the ideals of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas" to build an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, and each of us must contribute with utmost sincerity to implement this vision.

Noting that everyone is aware of India's progress in the green hydrogen sector, Nath said that the Prime Minister has highlighted the National Green Hydrogen Mission, which would pave the way for India to become a global hub for hydrogen production and export. The Power Minister informed that Tripura is working diligently to accelerate the implementation of clean and green energy initiatives announced by the government of India to achieve net zero carbon emissions.

“So far, around 45,000 solar street lights, 4,900 solar pumps, 215 solar micro-grids, 3 MW of solar rooftops, and 2 MW of off-grid solar power have been installed, generating a total of 26 MW of solar power,” he said.

The Minister also stated that integrating battery energy storage systems with renewable energy would ensure the availability of power during peak hours by utilizing surplus renewable energy generated during daytime and off-peak hours. The installation of storage batteries in Tripura to store solar energy for use during peak load periods is also being explored.

“The Central Government has taken several landmark initiatives in the power sector. These reforms have transformed the sector with a focus on providing affordable electricity to all. We all know that the northeast region of the country is not only rich in natural resources but also in social capital,” he added.

The meeting was attended by Additional Secretary of the Tripura Power Department Udayan Sinha, Managing Director of the Tripura State Electricity Corporation (TSECL) Biswajit Basu, and General Manager of the Power Transport Limited Ranjan Debbarman.