Himachal to commission three hydel projects this fiscal

Himachal Pradesh is going to commission three more state-run mega hydropower projects with a combined generation capacity of 265 MW in this fiscal, an official statement said on Sunday.

Power generation is expected to start from 65 MW Kashang, 100 MW Sainj and 100 MW Uhal hydel power projects in this financial year, said the statement.

In order to avoid the delays in getting clearances for the hydropower projects, the state government has fixed timelines under the Himachal Pradesh Public Services Guarantee Act.

The statement noted that the state has so far harnessed 10,264 MW electricity in government and private sectors out of which 830 MW was tapped during 2015-16.

Taking an effective step to conserve energy, the government has launched an LED (light-emitting diode) promotion programme under which LED bulbs are being made available to 22 lakh domestic consumers at subsidised rates.

Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd has procured the LED bulbs through Energy Efficiency Services Ltd, a central government undertaking.

In the past three years, Rs.600 crore has been invested by the electricity board to improve distribution system. A total of 4,200 transformers were set up during this period.

Himachal Pradesh's hydropower generation potential is 27,436 MW, or about 25 percent of India's total hydropower potential.

--IANS

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