NTPC to commission hydel project in Himachal Pradesh

State-run NTPC is likely to commission its first hydro power project, Koldam in Himachal Pradesh, in the next six months.

"The inauguration of filling up of the reservoir of the 800 MW capacity Koldam project may be done tomorrow and the entire process takes about 6 months or so," a source told PTI.

In about six-to-eight months, power production from the Koldam project will commence.

According to sources, the project which was started in 2003, will have a cost overrun of about 20%. The approved investment of the plant was Rs 4,527 crore.

It has been delayed mainly due to environment and geological hurdles. The project was earlier slated for commissioning in 2009.

The project will supply electricity to Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Chandigarh.

Koldam has an installed capacity of 800 MW comprising four units of 200 MW each.

Himachal Pradesh, the home state of the hydel plant would get 12 per cent free power as royalty, 15 per cent at bus bar tariff and 2.75 per cent as the grid distribution share from the 800 MW project.

Bus bar tariff is the cost per kilowatt hour of producing electricity and includes the cost of capital, debt service, operation and maintenance, and fuel.

The company is also executing three more hydel plants -- Tapovan Vishnugad (520 MW) and Lata Tapovan (171 MW) in Uttarakhand and  and Singrauli Small Hydro Project (8 MW) in Uttar Pradesh.

At present, NTPC generates 42,454 MW of electricity and plans to add 14,000 MW in the current plan period (2012-17).