(MENAFN- IANS) Agartala, Nov 25 (IANS) Tripura Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath said on Tuesday that the state is now able to supply electricity for an average of 23 hours and 49 minutes a day, placing the state in the fourth position in the country in power supply.

The Minister said that out of this, electricity is supplied for 23 hours and 43 minutes in villages and 23 hours and 59 minutes in cities and urban areas.

“Before the BJP government came to power in 2018, the state used to get power for around 21 hours, but now it receives 23 hours and 49 minutes a day. This is the report of the National Feeder Monitoring System (NFMS) of the government of India,” he said.

Nath, who also holds the Agriculture portfolio, told the media that for the last seven and a half years, the Power Department has been striving to provide uninterrupted and quality power to the people of Tripura.

Several steps have been taken for this. He said this after attending the bhumi pujan ceremony of the Rukhiya 120 MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Project.

The Minister said that this gas-based thermal power plant at Rukhia in Sepahijala district was set up in a total of six phases from 1990 to 2006. There are a total of nine Open Cycle (OC) Gas Turbine Generator Sets at Rukhia, 60 km south of Agartala.

“These units have been declared abandoned as their production period has passed. Due to the expiry of their period, their production was completely stopped at various times between 2002 and 2013,” Nath stated.

The remaining three units have a capacity of 21 MW each. So at present, the total capacity of the Rukhia gas-based thermal power plant is 63 MW. But due to insufficient natural gas supply, only 19 MW of electricity is being generated, he said.

The Minister informed that with the financial assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), this 63 MW open-cycle gas turbine will be converted into a 120 MW combined cycle gas turbine.

He said that as a result, 120 MW of electricity will be generated from the excess gas. The hot gas discharged from the open-cycle gas turbine is not used for any work; therefore, its efficiency is only 35 to 45 per cent. In the case of a combined cycle gas turbine, additional electricity is generated by driving the steam turbine with the hot gas discharged from the turbine; therefore, its efficiency is 60 per cent, Nath added.

He said that the combined cycle gas turbine project will be commissioned at Rs 1,320 crore, and the work will be completed within the next three years. The Minister also informed that 13,435 kilometres of Aerial Bunched Cable (AB Cable) have been installed to prevent power theft through hook lines in rural areas.

Earlier, only 198 kilometres had been installed. He informed that with the help of state-owned NHPC, the possibility of building an 800 MW pumped storage project at Chawmanu in Dhalai district is being explored.

“If the pumped storage project is built in the state, it will be the first of its kind in the Northeast region. As a result, there will be a significant improvement in the economic progress of the state,” the minister said.

He also added that 46.49 per cent of the total consumers are now paying their monthly electricity bills.

Earlier, it was 42.28 per cent. The number is gradually increasing.

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