AGARTALA, October 18 (TIWN): CMD of North Eastern Electric Power Corp (NEEPCO) P.C. Pankaj meets Power minister Manik Dey and discussed the issues related to Monarchak power plant and Ramchandranagar power project at Civil Secretariat, here today.

Speaking to the reporters at civil secretariat CMD of North Eastern Electric Power Corp (NEEPCO) P.C. Pankaj, said that the existing 84-MW natural gas-based Ramchandranagar power project is going changed in a combined cycle power plant which will produce more 51-MW. So the total power production of Ramchandranagar power project will be 135-MW, he informed.

The new combined cycle power plant of Ramchandranagar is likely to be inaugurated on next month. The new combined cycle power plant at Ramchandranagar, 25 km from here, is the second of its kind after the Kathalguri gas-based combined cycle project in eastern Assam, he added.

He further informed that, if ONGC supply sufficient amount of gas then the Monarchak power plant will start its trail run from December and the commercial production will start from February, 2015.

Initially, the NEEPCO had prepared DPR to set up a 500 MW gas-based power generation project at Monarchak way back in 2003. Later, the installed capacity was reduced to 280 MW and lastly it was reduced to only 101 MW after the ONGC failed to assure sufficient gas supply to NEEPCO.