Mizoram lends Tripura 50 MW for festive season, to get it back at Christmas

Mizoram is giving 50 MW from its own electricity quota to Tripura during the festive season, and Tripura will return the same amount in December when demand in Mizoram climbs for Christmas and New Year, a senior Mizoram official said.

H Lianzela, secretary of Mizoram's Power and Electricity Department, said on Sunday that the exchange continues an arrangement the two states have followed for several years, The Times of India reported.

How the swap works

The deal is a seasonal barter rather than a commercial sale. Officials said the power usually moves during peak hours, when demand is highest, and is not necessarily supplied round the clock.

The extra power helps Tripura State Electricity Corporation Ltd meet the rise in demand during the puja festivities. In return, Tripura will send 50 MW to Mizoram over Christmas and New Year, when lighting, public events and commercial activity push up consumption in the hill state.

Bigger than last year

The quantum has gone up. In October 2025, the two states swapped 40 MW: Mizoram supplied Tripura during Durga Puja, and Tripura State Electricity Corporation Ltd (TSECL) agreed to send 40 MW to Mizoram for Christmas, with Mizoram drawing it through December and January, TSECL managing director Biswajit Bose said at the time.

Tripura's festive load is rising

Tripura has been preparing for heavier festive loads. Ahead of this year's Durga Puja, Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath said the state was planning for a peak demand of about 410 MW, up from the roughly 373 MW actually recorded during last year's Puja, and that supply to Bangladesh would be cut during the festival so domestic needs came first.

At that review in early October, Nath had pointed to the Mizoram arrangement, saying Tripura supplies extra electricity to Mizoram at Christmas and can draw extra power during Puja when it needs to.

Why it matters

Festive lighting, public events and longer business hours push up evening demand sharply in both states, but their peaks fall at different times of the year. Timing the exchange around each state's main festive season lets the two utilities meet those peaks by trading equal amounts of power instead of buying costly extra supply.

The swap is one of the more practical examples of grid cooperation between neighbouring states in the North East.