Modi inaugurates 240 MW power project in Kashmir

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday inaugurated the 240 megawatt Uri-II hydropower project in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district.

The Uri-II Hydro Electric Project (HEP), located near the Line of Control (LoC) in Baramulla district close to Uri town, was dedicated to the nation by Modi in the presence of Governor N.N. Vohra, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and top officials of NHPC.

This is the second power project on River Jhelum in Uri area and is located downstream of the 480-MW Uri-I HEP, which is already operational.

The project is run-of-the-river with a concrete gravity dam which is 52 metres high and 157 metres long with four spillways of nine metres each.

The 4.23-km head race tunnel carries water from the dam to the powerhouse, which has four units of 60 MW each designed to generate 1124 million units of electricity in a year.

The work on the power project was completed in time despite a massive earthquake striking the area on Oct 8, 2005 -- two weeks after Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) started work on it.

Earlier, the prime minister laid a wreath at the war memorial inside the Badami Bagh cantonment headquarters of army's 15th Corps in Srinagar.

He also addressed a Sainik Sammelan inside the corps headquarters.

Vohra hosted a lunch at the Raj Bhavan in honour of Modi.

Modi was slated to return to New Delhi Friday evening.