Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma inaugurates Leshka hydel power project in Jaintia Hills on Wednesday. Picture by UB Photos

Shillong, Feb. 29: The first of the three units of the Myntdu-Leshka hydel power project in Meghalaya’s Jaintia Hills district was formally inaugurated today by chief minister Mukul Sangma.

Lying in a seismic zone that experiences heavy rainfall during monsoon and the presence of acidic water, the first unit of the 42MW power project was actually put into operation since December last year after several delays.

The inauguration of the first unit of the project assumed significance as it is the only hydro unit in the Northeast, which will be contributing power to the states during the 11th Plan Period.

The Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL), earlier known as the Meghalaya State Electricity Board (MeSEB), had executed the project in the Amlarem civil sub-division of Jaintia Hills district, nearly 130km from here.

The investigation of the Myntdu Leshka Stage I Hydro Electric Project (2x42)MW was taken up by the MeSEB during 1975-76 and the final revised detailed project report was submitted to the Central Electricity Authority for clearance in October 1998.

In 2002, the total project cost of the two units was approved at Rs 363.08 crore. However, the cost escalated to Rs 471 crore in 2005 and Rs 671 crore in 2006.

During construction, which commenced in 2004, after gettingenvironmental clearance from the Union ministry of environment and forests for the first two units, the corporation decided to set up a third unit.

Till the completion of the project, the cost would amount to around Rs 1,173 crore. The second unit of the project is likely to be ready by next month while the third unit will be functional by August this year, chief project manager Elias Lyngdoh said.

Chief minister Mukul Sangma minced no words when he said “inefficiency” on the part of the MeECL led to the delay in completion of the project.

He asked the MeECL to be more efficient to ensure that projects are completed well within the stipulated time.

According to the MeECL website, the delay in completion and commissioning of the project was caused by several reasons.

“The main one being continuous rainfall at the project site (as the site is located in the southern slope of the state in the same belt with Sohra) and the other geological conditions prevailing in the area,” the website mentioned.

Moreover, the MeECL has found that the water in the Myntdu river is highly acidic because of coal mining in the catchment area.

It also mentioned anti-corrosion steel and stainless steel were used during the construction of the project. In addition, micro silica and other admixtures were added in the concrete to make it more durable and dense.

As the project is close to the Dawki fault, which has the potential to generate earthquake measuring 9-plus on the Richter scale, all structures have been appropriately designed to withstand high intensity earthquake impact.

The commissioning of the first unit is expected to provide some relief to power-deficit Meghalaya which, at present, has an installed capacity to generate 186.5MW while the demand is a staggering 600MW.