MP govt to transfer 3 more hydel power projects to NHDC

The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to hand over three more mini hydel power projects to the Narmada Hydro Electric Development Corporation (NHDC), a joint venture of Madhya Pradesh and the Narmada Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).

These three projects are first mini hydel power projects with a total capacity of 351 MW to be built on Narmada basin.

Narmada Valley Development Authority decided to award the projects to NHDC, since private companies are more interested in thermal power generation. Hydel power projects involve social obligations.

The new three hydel power projects will be constructed at upper Narmada zone at Raghavpur (20 MW), Rosra (25 MW) and Basania (20 MW).

"The authority will soon demand cost, tariff and details, other terms and conditions and financial and administrative proposals from NHPC so that its subsidiary NHDC may execute the projects," a NVDA source told BS.

The source also said, "Survey of these projects have been completed and will cater to the power demand at upper Narmada zone that includes tribal dominated area districts like Mandla and Dindori."

The NVDA had earlier also asked NHDC to prepare detailed project report on three more projects with a combined capacity of 60 MW at Hosangabad, Handia and Boras at lower Narmda zone with a combined capacity of 160 MW. However, orders are yet to come.

Earlier the state government had floated tenders for one of the projects to involve private parties, however, it receiver lukewarm or no response from the private sector.

NHDC has already completed two mega hydel power projects namely 1000 MW Indira Sagar and 520 MW Omkareshwar power projects on the Narmada river lower zone. Although power production has been restricted to half of the capacity of the Indira sagar and one-fourth of the Omkareshwar's capacity.

NVDA has roped in Indian Institute of Rurki to gauge mini hydel power potential on Narmada Basin. The primary phase of which has already been completed.