Assam ready for more power reforms

Guwahati, May 16 (IANS) Assam is gearing up for the second phase of power reforms to increase electricity generation, Power Minister Pradyut Bordoloi said here Wednesday.

He said the state was facing power shortage and more needed to be done for electricity generation, adding that several large and small projects were at different stages of completion.

Once completed, the projects will help mitigate the power woes, he said.

"We are not for privatisation, but want professionalism in the government sector in the interest of the people of the state," he said.

However, if needed, private players might be roped in, he said.

After the first phase of reforms from 2005-12, Assam's power generation had gone up to 379.5 MW from 192 MW in the 1995-2004, he said.

On the acute power crisis in the state after a national power grid in Jalpaiguri in West Bengal was damaged in a storm, he said: "One of the 400 KV towers was restored May 12 and the second was restored May 15."

In the case of wind energy, he said the state did not have long tracts of flat land with high velocity winds.

The minister said the state was looking towards non-conventional energy sources such as waste and biomass and some projects were in the pipeline.