ITANAGAR | July 7, 2016: The state government has decided to initiate fresh mining lease to Oil India Ltd, for execution of 10 MW Gas based Power Project at Kumchai.

The decision was taken in a meeting attended by Minister Power, NCER & Research, T.N. Thongdok, Minister Mines Kamlung Mossang, Parliamentary Secretary, Mines, T. Taku, Commissioner (Power) and other senior officers of Geology & Mining, Oil India Ltd., DGM & HoP, A. K. Baruah at the conference hall of Minister Power on July 7.

The meeting discussed the execution of 10MW Gas based Power Project at Kumchai and Thermal Power Plant at Kharsang.

The Oil India was directed to take up for issuance of fresh Forest Clearance with the PCCF on priority.

Minister Power, Thongdok pointing out that since the two projects were declared as CSR schemes of Oil India Ltd to Arunachal Pradesh, the schemes should have been owned by the State Govt, and therefore the question of purchase of power does not arise. Also the royalty of the gas to be utilized for the power plant should be paid to the State, he added.

Thongdok suggested that the State Govt may take up the issue with the Ministry of Coal & Mines for awarding the project under CSR scheme to Arunachal Pradesh as declared by the then Union Minister (P&NG), and likewise the Oil India Ltd. should take it up at their own level. Stating that the recruitment of technical/non-technical staff is being conducted in Assam, Minister Mines, Kamlung Mossang called for conducting such recruitments in the state to benefit the local unemployed youths. The DGM, Oil India Ltd. was requested to consider this in future recruitments.

On the establishment of a coal based thermal power plant at Kharsang, Minister Power stated that the state government should propose a coal-pit thermal power plant at Kharsang and accordingly the proposal should be submitted to the Ministry of Coal and Mines urgently. It was informed that the Commissioner (Power) has already been informed to prepare DPR in consultation with the Department of Geology & Mines.

The foundation stone of the proposed 10 MW gas based power project at Kumchai and Nursing School at Namsai was laid at Itanagar by the then Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Veerappa Moily as a CSR scheme. However the Oil India Ltd desired for signing of the MoU with the state government for purchase of power from the Project. There was no provision for employment of local people of Arunachal and royalty to the State Govt in the MoU proposed by Oil India Ltd.

Earlier, officials from Oil India Ltd informed that the available gas from the existing well presently is about 30,000 SCMD whereas the required amount is 55,000 SCMD for the proposed 10 MW project. The construction period of the proposed project will be one year and will require drilling of three more wells to supplement the present availability of gas by another 25,000 SCMD, which is the actual requirement for the project. As the mining lease permission and forest clearance issued by the State Govt for the present wells have expired, the OIL officials requested for issuing of fresh mining lease permission and forest clearance.

(Source: http://www.arunachaltimes.in/)