Looking for information on Asom's power scenario? Read on to know all about the Asom Thermal Power Plants.
Natural resources in Assam
The state of Asom is better known as Assam. It is located in the north-eastern part of India. It is rich in flora and fauna. A large part of Assam is covered in hills, rivers, forests and vegetation. It has an excellent reserve of minerals like
- Iron Ore
- Limestone
- Granite
- Sulphur
- Kaolin
Assam has an abundant reserve of petroleum. It takes care of 25% of India�s petrol requirement. The state is rich in natural resources like
- Coal
- Oil
- Natural Gas
- Biomass
Power generation in Asom
The natural resources in Asom have not been fully exploited. Lack of good planning and infrastructure is the result of this. Despite such problems, Asom has made much improvement in power generation. It has a number of coal based thermal plants to produce electric power. There is no dearth of coal mines in the state. This ensures that the supply of coal to these plants is uninterrupted.
Assam State Electricity Board
The Assam State Electricity Board looks after the government controlled power plants. The board has been split into five companies
- Assam Power Generation Corporation Limited (GENCO)
- Assam Electricity Grid Corporation Limited (TRANSCO)
- Upper Assam Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UA-DISCOM)
- Central Assam Electricity Distribution Company Limited (CA-DISCOM)
- Lower Assam Electricity Distribution Company Limited (LA-DISCOM)
Asom Thermal Power Plants
A number of thermal power plants in Asom had been closed down due to factors like
- Corrosion of boilers due to high sulphur content in coal
- Difficulties in transportation of coal
- High cost of production
- Mechanical problems
In recent years, several thermal power plants in Asom are in operation. These have tackled most of the earlier problems. The Assam thermal plants are aiming to generate enough electricity for the entire state.
Some of the major Assam power plants are:
Namrup Thermal Power Station (NTPS)
It is managed by the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB). It has a power generation capacity of 134 MW.
Address:
Dibrugarh,
Assam - 786622,
India.
Bongaigaon Thermal Power Station (BTPS)
This power plant has a 240 MW generation capacity. It had closed down in March 2002 due to irregular coal supplies. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated its revival in January 2006. It was reopened in May 2008.
Address:
Bongaigaon,
Assam,
India.
Lakwa Thermal Power Station (LTPS)
It has a power production capacity of about 126 MW.
Address:
APGCL,
Maibella,
Sivasagar,
Assam,
India.
Upcoming Assam power plants
The NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation) is investing more money in thermal power generation in Assam.
Some of the upcoming Assam thermal power plants are
Assam Power Generation Company Ltd
Address:
Amguri,
Distt. Sivsagar,
Assam,
India.
The existing Asom Thermal Power Plants are being expanded to help in the production of more electric energy. The power situation in Assam had always been a matter of concern. The upcoming plant and the improvised exiting ones will hopefully solve the problem.
Last Updated on : 22 September 2010
