PALATANA, December 2 (TIWN): The single biggest investment of India’s Maharatna ONGC in energy sector of Northeast to the tune of Rs 10,000 Cr in 726.6 MW gas based combine cycle power project at Palatana of South Tripura has laid down an ambitious target to contribute to India’s commitment to cut down the green house gas emission in global climate mitigation deal.After formal commissioning of Palatana 2nd unit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, Chairman cum Managing Director of ONGC Dinesh K Sarraf told that it will mitigate over 1.6 million tons of carbon-dioxide emissions annually for next 10 years.“Palatana power project is one of the biggest CDM projects in the world, which will fetch 16 million tons carbon credits in next decade to the India’s green house gas emission accounts,” Mr Sarraf said.He however, pointed out that after commercial commissioning of 363.3 MW capacity first unit of Palatana in June 2013, the power crisis of the state has gone and with the addition of second unit with similar capacity, Tripura has become the second power surplus state after Sikkim.“At a time when, world looking for power converting alternative energy, Palatana has appeared to be a model before the globe where natural gas has been used for generation of power without causing any major harm to the environment,” he added.

Mr Sarraf however, hoped that the project will help in monetizing the gas discoveries made by ONGC in Tripura during the last two decades, which have remained under-utilized thus far due to lack of appropriate customer demand.

Palatana is consuming around 4.5 million cubic metres gas per day for it’s full generation of power, which is mainly supplied from only two wells of West Tripura and the plan for more new exploration strike is on card, he stated.

Talking about gas reserves of Tripura Mr Sarraf attributed that the flow rate of gas is highest among the discoveries in North-East and there is more potential sites of natural gas has already been mapped by ONGC in the state, which will bring bigger investment in the region.

Prime Minister Modi inaugurating OTPC Palatana Unit II power generation on December 1, 2014. TIWN Pic Dec 1

He further opined that North Eastern region still does not have the capacity to absorb 726.6 MW and therefore implementation of the Project also essentially required evacuation of power from Northeast to the rest of the country on urgent basis.

At present, Ministry of Power has decided to sell out 100 MW power to neighbouring Bangladesh from Palatana and transmission line from Suryamaninagar, state power grid to Brahamanbaria grid of Bangladesh has already been erected.  

“Though second unit of Palatana has been commissioned today, the commercial generation of 363.3 MW power in it will be beginning from January next and by that time finalization of power transmission to Bangladesh will be done,” said a top official of Tripura government.

Assam has been allocated 240 MW, Meghalaya 79 MW, Manipur 42 MW, Nagaland 27 MW, Arunachal Pradesh 22 MW,Mizoram 22 MW and Tripura 196 MW from Palatana power project according to the stake of the respective state governments and rest of the unallocated power will be going to National Power Grid through ONGC Tripura Power Company.