Sikkim will be energized fully by Sept end: Sonam Gyatso

Gangtok, September 10, 2013

All the RGGYV villages in the Sikkim will be energized fully by end of this month said Sikkim energy & power minister Sonam Gyatso Lepcha while addressing the 7^th Power Ministers conference of states and union territories  in New Delhi yesterday.

The minister said that Sikkim is providing round the clock reliable power supply to all the census village and added that data base of all the electrified and un electrified habitations are being carried out for planning and execution of future electrification schemes to cover all the habitations also under the  electrification programmes.

He said that transmission losses will be reduced by at least 3% in next six months and to 5% in next one year. He told that state has taken effective technical measures to reduce transmission losses in project areas of Gangtok and Upper Tadong towns by installing necessary hardwares and IT enabled applications to monitor and compute the system losses and further identifying and controlling the losses.

“The technical losses are being minimized through system up gradation and strengthening works. The metering of feeders, distribution transformers and bulk consumer premises has been completed,” he added.

Gyatso said that state is strengthening intra state transmission and sub transmission system keeping in view of commissioning of new hydel projects in the state in coming years so as to provide electricity to national grid and other north eastern states to meet the supply demand in the region.

According to the power minister, the state has taken measures to monitor and ensure compliance with grid standard and grid code. The requisite protection system would be installed to ensure integrated operation of state grid with regional grid.

He requested the union power ministry to provide full central funding of Rs 1569 crore for the cost of comprehensive scheme for strengthening of transmission and distribution system in Sikkim keeping in view of it’s strategically importance.

Sonam Gyatso said, “The 99 MW Chuzachen hydro electric project has been successfully commissioned on 17^th May 2003 and told that this is first hydro project to be successfully commissioned in the state in IPP mode.

The state government has taken various steps for distribution sector reforms and he told that measures have been devised to ensure timely collection of outstanding electricity bills for government departments and local bodies funded by state government.

Sikkim has sufficient power generation system to meet its full demand and there are no plans to procure additional power from other sources, the power minister said.