The Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL) is now equipped with the Northeast’s first National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)-accredited transformer testing laboratory at Sumer in Ri-Bhoi district.
Power Minister Metbah Lyngdoh inaugurated the facility, built at a cost of ₹1.3 crore as a joint initiative of MePDCL, the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI) and the Ministry of Power.
Lyngdoh said MePDCL procures a large number of distribution transformers for installation across the State and, while manufacturers provide test certificates, it was equally important for the utility to independently verify their quality and performance before they are put into service.
The facility, he said, would provide MePDCL with a locally accessible and technically capable facility for testing transformers and strengthen quality assurance, primarily for newly procured distribution transformers.
Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) Chairman-cum-Managing Director Sanjay Goyal said the quality of transformers was one of the biggest challenges faced by the State.
He said the corporation now had a database of transformers and that the repair workshops at Sumer and Tura had responded to the challenges of the time.
Lyngdoh described the laboratory as a significant addition to Meghalaya’s power-sector infrastructure.
