94 hydel plants stuck due to delay in clearances: Scindia

Hydro power contributes 18.6% or 39,416 MW of the total 2,11,766 MW capacity in country

As many as 94 hydro power projects are languishing due to tardy progress at various levels in granting them clearances.

Once approved, these projects that are pending due to want of clearances by various ministries, can generate 37,000 MW, Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has said.

The ministry, he said at a media interaction, is working diligently to get clearances for them.

Hydro power contributes 18.6% or 39,416 MW of the total 2,11,766 MW capacity in the country.

The country's largest hydro power producer NHPC, which generates 5,702 MW, plans to add another 1,702 MW by March 2017.

The company had earlier planned to construct 2,000 MW Subansiri hydel project in Assam, and 800 MW Parbati in Himachal Pradesh by March 2017. However, delays in environment and forest clearances as well as opposition by local people has forced NHPC to exclude them from its list for the current 12th Five Year Plan period (2012-17).

Meanwhile, for better coordination with the states to implement thermal power projects, Power Ministry will set up panel headed by the respective Chief Secretaries of the states to weed out the hurdles in execution of plants.

According to the proposal, the Power Ministry will set up a facilitating system at the state level. The ministry has communicated to the states to set up a committee at the Chief Secretary level which will look into all the issues with regard thermal power projects.

Scindia also said that the government will put in place a system so that resolution of issues is done more effectively.

He said the Power Secretary will take stock of the situation by meeting these committees at regular intervals.

This system will act as the ministry's internal line and for dispute resolution. Once the issues are solved at this level there would be no need to approach other forums like the Inter Ministerial Groups.

States contribute 41%, about 86,343 MW, to the country's total installed capacity with the rest coming from central and private sectors.