As part of a slew of measures the government is taking to reverse the sluggish growth of the Covid-hit state’s economy, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday made an open invitation to companies to set up their business ventures in Assam as the state has a power surplus of 350MW to cater to their electricity needs.

Chairing a meeting to assess the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL), Assam Power Generation Corporation Ltd (APGCL) and Assam Electricity Grid Corporation Ltd (AEGCL), Sonowal said though the state has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, the unrelenting endeavour of the government’s power companies has yielded a power surplus of 350MW.

Sonowal also asked the power department to work towards attracting more investments and develop innovative projects.

He also asked APDCL to ensure energy security and cater to the retail electricity demand of around 58.78 lakh consumers of Assam.

Taking stock of overall operations, the chief minister directed officials to fill up vacancies in power department immediately.

Sonowal was also informed that the 100MW Namrup replacement power project is on schedule and will start combined cycle commercial operation by May 31.