Himachal hydro project generates 1,000 MW power in 'record time'

Friday, 12 March 2004, 20:30 IST
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SHIMLA: A hydroelectric project in Himachal Pradesh generated 1,000 MW of power in a record time of less than five months, officials claim. Built on the Sutlej river at Nathpa in the tribal Kinnaur district, the project costs 86 billion and will have a capacity of 1,500 MW of power from its six units. The Nathpa project, about 180 km from here, is the flagship of the Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVNL), a public sector undertaking. "With the successful testing of the fifth 250 MW unit of the project on March 9, the total capacity of the Nathpa project has reached 1,250 MW. Only one more unit remains to be tested," said Y.N. Appa Rao, chairman and managing director of SJVNL. He said the figure has been achieved in less than five months, adding: "The project has already generated around 2.2 billion." The central and state government are the main equity holders in the ratio of 3:1, with the World Bank funding 15.37 billion. "The project will be a trendsetter for the mega electric projects and a big step towards realising the country's dream of adding 50,000 MW of hydroelectric power by 2017, the end of the 12th plan," claimed Appa Rao. Himachal Pradesh has a hydropower potential of over 25,000 MW, which is over a quarter of the entire country, but only a fraction of this has been tapped so far for want of funds.
Source: IANS