Imlisanen Jamir
Just in time for Earth Day, the Nagaland State Government has laid a foundation stone for a five megawatt solar power plant at Hovukhu village, Niuland. If things go well, this is hopefully the beginning of our State’s journey to being energy self-sufficient; and more importantly to utilise green energy resources.
As another Earth Day approaches on April 22, we are again reminded of how our consumption habits have stretched the planet to its limits and the urgency with which the trend needs to be reversed. Human activities contributing to the deterioration of our planet are vast; but one that stands out is our constant hunger for energy.
For years now, Nagaland’s energy demands have not been met and most of it has come at a cost to the State’s exchequer. From consumers not paying their bills to a deteriorating power distribution system, the energy sector has been in pretty much of a shambles. Recently though, revenue generation has been improved, and there is hope that more improvements will be made to the power infrastructure.
Reportedly, the solar power plant will be the first and biggest clean energy plant in the state that can produce 7-8 million units annually once completed. It can be further upgraded to 10-15 MW, if successfully implemented.
Earlier, on March 10, the State Government and Halo Energies Private Limited signed a power purchase agreement to set up a greenfield solar power project plant in Dimapur. The 20MW (Mega Watt) power project spread across 120 acres inside the Ganeshnagar Industrial Area in Dimapur, envisaged generating close to 28 MU (million units) per year and the tariff is fixed at Rs 4.14/unit kilowatt-hour (kWh) by the Nagaland Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The total cost of the project stands at Rs 120-130 crore, and the duration of the project, as per the agreement, is for 25 years.
According to the Advisor for the Department of Power, Tovihoto Ayemi, the State aims to achieve power generation capacity of 300 to 400 MW. Currently, Nagaland has a requirement of close to 750MU per annum, the majority of which is being purchased from Hydro electric generation plants. He further stated that approval and resolution of land issues for hydroelectric projects in the State have also been obtained.
This is good news and the State Government should ensure that these projects are accomplished quickly. With the current impetus to develop power generation capacity in Nagaland, the State needs to ensure that the Sun and our hydro power resources are utilized promptly. We are at a unique position where the opportunity to push development through the use of sustainable energy is there for the taking.
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