Modi inaugurates Uri hydroelectric project in J&K

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the 240-Megawatt Uri-II Hydro Electric Project (HEP) located near the Line of Control in Baramulla district of Kashmir.

The Prime Minister dedicated the power project to the nation in presence of Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and top officials of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).

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

The Uri-II HEP has a concrete gravity dam which is 52-metre high and 157-metre 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 1,124 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 October 8, 2005 - two weeks after Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) started work on it.

"Overcoming challenges has always been a speciality of our engineers. We triumphed over every obstacle posed by difficult geographical conditions and freezing temperatures," Chief Operating Officer of HCC Ambuj Jain said.