Agartala, Aug 2 (TIWN) Power ministers of the seven northeastern states will meet in Agartala Thursday to finalise the strategies to complete the on going works of the under construction power projects in the region. Tripura Power Minister Manik Dey said that the two-day meeting of the North Eastern Regional Power Committee (NERPC) would meet here Sept 4-5 to take some strategies to complete the works of the power projects and solve power transmission related troubles.

Power ministers of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura and top officials of power sector PSUs of the central government are the members of the NERPC.

“The northeastern region has been facing many problems in the power sector. The NERPC would take some specific steps to complete the under construction power projects in the region in their re-scheduled time frame,” Dey told TIWN.

Dey, who is the chairman of the NERPC, said that the region can produce more than 60,000 MW of power if the resources available in the region can be utilised properly.

“The northeastern region has also being witnessing several problems on power distribution and transmission among the seven states,” the minister added.

According to an official document of state-owned North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), the hydro-power potential alone of the northeastern region is estimated at about 58,971 MW, but only less than two percent (1,200 MW) has so far been harnessed till early this year.

The thermal and other natural resource based power projects can generate several thousand MW more electricity in the power and industry starved region.

According to the NEEPCO document, 19 power projects, including twelve 3,918 MW capacity hydel power projects and four thermal power projects with installed capacity of 5,595 MW, are now in various stages of commissioning and planning in the northeastern region by different organisations, including NEEPCO.

The power plants either being set up or would be set up are in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Mizoram and Tripura.