Our Reporter
Dimapur, Nov. 6 (EMN): Advisor for Power department, H Tovihoto Ayemi on Saturday stated that sufficient power supply is indispensable for development of an area and demand increases with urbanisation.
He stated this during the inauguration of the upgraded 10 MVA Referral Sub-Station from 33/11KV, 5MVA, under North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) at Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research (CIHSR), Dimapur.
People have started migrating to the outskirts of Dimapur town for settlement as the town is congested with no room for expansion, and this has automatically increased power supply requirement, he said.
Ayemi informed that the state government is planning to set up another 50 MVA sub-station in the near future to meet the growing power demand, and an area has already been demarcated for this.
Stating that there cannot be any inauguration programme if no development is taking place, he said ‘the present government is doing its best in all sectors for overall development'.
The advisor also stated that installation of prepaid smart meters have been made mandatory as per the Union Ministry of Power notification in August this year. He added that it might be something new in Nagaland but widely used in other parts of the country.
Ayemi informed that so far, 19,000 prepaid electricity meters -- 10,000 in Dimapur and 9000 in Kohima -- have been installed so far.
He added that as per the notification from the Centre, prepaid smart meters should be installed in every household by December 2023. ‘Nagaland is no exception; it has to follow the rest of the country,’ he said while asserting that it was for the benefit of the consumers.
The advisor also informed that the Power department would soon come up with a social media platform where works undertaken by the department will updated for the public.
While delivering a short speech, Chief Engineer (D&R), Moa Aier said that the 10 MVA sub-station is being funded by the World Bank.
Aier informed that the power capacity upgrade is divided into three categories -- first category is transmission, second sub-transmission and third distribution.
He added that these three categories should be aligned for power to reach households.
In the last 20 years, the distribution capacity, sub transmission capacity and transmission capacity have been increased by 400% in Dimapur, he informed.
‘However, there is still a gap as the demand is more than the supply,’ he added.
The chief engineer further informed that the department needs to add at least 50 to 60 MVA in all these three levels every year for the next five years in order to accommodate the power demand.