Record generation by Himachal power plant

Despite a deficit in monsoon rainfall, public sector Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVNL) has seen record generation of electricity in July at India's largest hydropower project in Himachal Pradesh, a company official said Saturday.

"Our plant generated an all-time record of power last month by producing 1,191.217 million units against the target of 1,083 million units," SJVNL Deputy General Manager Vijay Verma told IANS.

The earlier record was 1,186.5 million units achieved during July 2012, he said.

The highest generation during the month was July 8 at 38.941 MU against the installed capacity of 36 MU.

Verma said during this fiscal, the plant has generated 3,352 million units, whereas the target of this fiscal is 6,900 million units.

The Met Office in Shimla said from June 1 to July 31 there was 35 percent deficit in rainfall in Himachal Pradesh.

In 2013-14, the plant had generated 7,193 million units against the design energy of 6,612 million units.

SJVNL is a joint venture between the central and Himachal Pradesh governments. The former holds 74.5 percent stake, while the remaining 25.5 percent is held by the state government.

However, the central government sold 10 percent equity in May 2010.

SJVNL's maiden project, the Nathpa Jhakri project, started generation in 2004-05.

It supplies power to Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh and Delhi.

Its second mega hydropower project, 412 MW Rampur hydroelectric project in upper Shimla, has also been commissioned in this fiscal.