Guwahati: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in the Assam Legislative Assembly that the only option to overcome the electricity shortage in the state is now to set up coal-based power plants.
Speaking on the issue, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said that Assam does not have load-shedding, and even if there is no power for around 10 minutes, that cannot be considered load-shedding.
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He added that Assam is not in a position to generate more electricity at present, as it has exhausted all the available methods.
“There is no water in Assam where hydel projects can be set up to generate electricity, but we can generate it by setting up a coal-based power plant in Margherita,” he said.
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However, the CM said that even that would not be possible, as MLA Akhil Gogoi and another organization have already opposed it, claiming that it would damage the biodiversity.
He added that if any MLA, or even Akhil Gogoi, agrees to give land in their constituency, the Assam government would invest in a power project.
“However, no one would agree to a coal-based project, and there are no options left for water-based projects,” the CM said.
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Himanta Biswa Sarma further stated that a coal-based project would make it possible to generate around 3,000 MW of electricity in Assam, as the state would require 4,000 MW of electricity by 2026.
He also claimed that solar power plants are not possible in Assam, as they only work during the day, and the state needs energy more at night.
The CM further added, “If the NHPC project had not been opposed, the state would not have reached this crisis. However, in 2011, someone decided to oppose it for political reasons, and the project was delayed by another 10 years.”