The Meghalaya government on Tuesday informed the Assembly that the financial and operational performance of Meghalaya’s power utilities has improved significantly, with MePDCL’s losses reduced to ₹35 crore in FY 2024-25.
Replying during the Assembly session, Power Minister Metbah Lyngdoh said Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses declined from 37.27 percent in 2018-19 to 10.76 percent in 2024-25. Technical losses in transmission and distribution also dropped from 36.20 percent to 16.60 percent over the same period.
He noted that collection efficiency rose from 87 percent to 107 percent, while the ACS-ARR gap narrowed from ₹1.18 per unit in 2018-19 to just 30 paise per unit in 2024-25—indicating stronger financial health of the DISCOM.
Under commitments linked to the UDAY scheme, the state government took over losses of ₹322.54 crore between 2018-19 and 2021-22. However, Lyngdoh acknowledged that operational funding support of ₹1,165 crore envisaged under the 2017 tripartite MoU was not fully provided, slowing the pace of recovery.
The minister said total outstanding loans of Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) stood at ₹2,015.75 crore. A significant portion includes bonds and Atmanirbhar loans from PFC and REC that are not allowed in tariff calculations.
From 2025-26 onwards, the state has committed to taking over 100 percent of losses under a reform-linked borrowing framework.
Transmission performance has improved notably, with the Transmission Availability Factor rising from 96.85 percent to 99.70 percent. Transmission losses fell from 5.13 percent to 2.53 percent.
The utility expanded its network substantially, increasing 220 kV line length by 114 percent and 132 kV lines by 38 percent since 2018-19. More than 3,400 transformers were installed under various schemes, and repair capacity was enhanced from 480 to 860 distribution transformers annually.
Transformer failure rates have remained close to the national average of around 6 percent, with replacement rates ranging between 87 percent and 106 percent.
MeECL has also signed an MoU with the Central Power Research Institute to set up the Northeast’s first NABL-accredited testing laboratory.
The minister said while the corporation is moving towards financial self-sufficiency, continued government backing will be needed to address legacy liabilities and consolidate the turnaround.