Agartala, August 19 (TIWN): The ONGC Tripura Power Company (OTPC) powered Palatana power plant would go for routine shutdown from August 20, Tripura Power Minister Manik Dey said here today.

Asked about latest situation of power requirement and availability in the state, Power Minister Dey said that the OTPC authorities assured him to re-run the 363.3 MW first unit by September 05 this year. The minister said that the government was hopeful to have the project operational within the stipulated timeframe. He added that the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) decided in a recent meeting to purchase additional power from other states of the country to maintain the current power situation of Tripura.

The state is currently estimated to have an average daily requirement of 235 MW in peak hours out of which 65 MW deficit is already haunting the Corporation. With the Palatana project stalled fromtomorrow, the Corporation would lose on the 90 MW share coming from the project as well.

“We have sanctioned additional funds for power purchase from other states but then engineers from the BHEL are also working on the 8^th unit of Rukhia thermal power plant. It is expected to become operational by the next 2 days”, Dey said. The ninth unit of Rukhia power plant is non-functional in the meanwhile.

The ninth unit of Rukhia thermal power project went off the grid before a year from its commissioning. The state government is blaming BHEL authorities for manufacturing defect while the latter is reported to have denied the allegation. A meeting of the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of BHEL and TSECL officials was recently held at the Tripura Bhawan, Delhi following which BHEL authorities have agreed to repair the equipment.

An ODC from the BHEL headquarters is currently on its way to Rukhia plant en route Orissa. The unit would become functional well ahead of Durga Puja, a source said.

Asked about his take on the current capacity of the TSECL in tackling the situation, Power Minister Dey said that the government is trying to maintain the current situation.

Tripura is now having 1 hour of powercut in urban areas and 1.30 hours of powercut in rural areas according to official estimates. The actual situation varies often.