The commissioning of the 363.3MW first unit of ONGC Power Tripura Company's Palatana thermal power project is expected to significantly alleviate power crisis in North East region of India.

The first unit of the North East region's single largest gas fired thermal power project in Tripura near the Bangladesh border was inaugurated on Friday by President Pranab Mukherjee.

The Palatana thermal power project will cater to seven out of the eight states in the North East region, which has long been suffering from huge power shortage. By August, ONGC will commission one more unit of the project, doubling plant's energy capacity.

President Mukherjee praised the role of Bangladesh in making the Palatana a reality.

In his speech, Mr. Mukherjee said, "If Bangladesh had not extended exemplary co-operation in allowing transit of the heavy equipment through their territories, OTPC would have never been a reality."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had laid the foundation stone for the Palatana thermal power project in Tripura in 2005. But, its proximity to Bangladesh prompted many to doubt if the project would ever take off.

Assam will be the biggest beneficiary as it will get 240 MW of power from the project. Tripura will get 196 MW, Meghalaya 79 MW, Manipur 42 MW, Nagaland 27 MW, while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh will 22 MW each. ONGC Tripura Power Company and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services will keep the remaining power.