Dharchula, Pithoragarh, 14 Feb 2005
State-run National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), country’s largest hydro power utility, will begin generation from the 280 MW Dhauliganga power project near here next month with the commissioning of the first unit.
The first unit of the 4×70 MW plant on river Dhauliganga will become functional in March and the other three units will start generation by August-September 2005, S K Aggarwal, general manager of the project said.
The hydel project will generate 1,134 million units of electricity, which will be evacuated by a transmission line of Power Grid Corporation for supplying to the Northern Grid. Besides Uttaranchal, which will get 12 per cent of electricity for free, other beneficiary states include Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Built at an estimated cost of Rs 1,578 crores, the run-of-the-river project is funded by Japanese Bank of International Cooperation which has given a loan of 21,985 million Yen (approx Rs 924 crore), official sources said here on Monday.
The project in Pithoragarh district on Indo-Nepal border entails the construction of a 56-metre high dam, a 750-metre long diversion tunnel and a 5.3 km long head race tunnel through which water will be taken downstream to an underground power house consisting of four turbines where electricity will be generated, sources said.
A 437-metre long tail race tunnel will then take the water back to the river.
The project also involved international companies in the construction work.
The dam and part of head race tunnel is being constructed by Kajima-Daewoo joint venture while the power house and part of head race tunnel is being built by a joint venture of Samsung and Hindustan Construction Company, sources said.
News Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com