Shillong, Dec. 15: The British-era Sonapani mini-hydel power project at Lumkshaid in Lower Mawprem, the country’s third oldest, was officially dedicated to the people by chief minister Mukul Sangma today.

The project, set up in 1922 by the British government and abandoned in 1982, was revived in 2001. Construction of the Rs 9.88-crore project commenced in 2004 and was completed in 2009. Commercial distribution from the 1.5MW project was started in 2010.

The official unveiling of the project was also an opportunity for the Meghalaya government to commission a power project in the state after over 30 years.

The project owes its existence to a report prepared by J.W. Meares in 1908 that said Shillong was one of the “worst lit” hill stations, though it was the summer capital of the New Province (East Bengal and Assam).

Considering the fact that there were abundant water resources in the vicinity of Shillong, Meares was confident that both street lighting and private lighting was possible if this resource were properly harnessed.

Meares had proposed that the energy be tapped from the Umkhrah river by utilising the Beadon Falls and the neighbouring rapids.

The project was envisioned to provide energy for lighting streets, the Government House, press, government offices, clubs, hotels, private houses, shops and others. A generation of about 44KW was calculated to be required for the purpose.

Meares, therefore, proposed installation of a 50KW generator capable of withstanding 25 per cent overload for two hours. One generator would suffice with a second in reserve.

The report envisaged tapping of water from the Umkhrah near Guwahati road by providing a 15-feet-high masonry dam immediately upstream of the bridge.

Based on Meares’s report, the Sonapani Mini Hydel Electric Project, as it is now called, was constructed and commissioned in 1922 by the Shillong Hydro Electric Supply Company Pvt Ltd, which was owned by former Bengal chief minister B.C. Roy.

The project consisted of two weirs, one on the Umkhrah and the other on the Umshyrpi. Water from these two weirs was carried by open channels to fore bays at distances of 632 metres and 1,145 metres respectively.

Subsequently, since adequate water was available and demand for power was increasing, the capacity of the power station was enhanced by installing four additional generating sets of 100KW, 250KW, 320KW and 640KW in 1928, 1939, 1956 and 1960, respectively. These increased the total installed capacity of the power station to 1,510KW from the initial 200KW.

The project witnessed spectacular success and provided energy to Shillong and its suburbs for six decades.

But the project was officially decommissioned in April 1982 in view of the increasing difficulty in procuring spare parts for the old machines, coupled with reduced viability compared to other hydel projects that had already come up in the state.

However, the erstwhile Meghalaya State Electricity Board (MeSEB), now known as Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL), mooted a plan to revive the project in 2001 and the government started the work in 2004.

The total cost of the project was Rs 9.88 crore, of which the Union ministry of new and renewable energy provided Rs 6.75 crore.

Being a historic and a heritage project, a demand has also been raised to beautify the area in order to attract tourists.

Speaking on the occasion, chief minister Mukul Sangma stressed the need to increase power generation in order to bring down electricity charges.

While stating that it was imperative to invest more in the power sector, Sangma asked the people not to “misunderstand” the intentions of the government. “The intention of the government when it wants to invest more in power projects should not be misunderstood. This might have happened because of a lack of clarity,” he said.

He said the government would explore the possibility of having more such mini hydel projects besides tapping energy from biomass waste and solar power.

Citing the case of Umiam lake, he said there was a need to blend power projects with tourism.

The present total installed capacity of power generation in the state is a mere 186.5MW compared to a staggering 600MW demand.