Uttarakhand shifts focus to small power projects

After sanctioning mega projects as big as the 2,400 MW Tehri hydel project, the Uttarakhand government is now trying to focus on small power plants. These projects would be of .5 to 5 MW of capacity.

For this, the government has joined hands with Infrastructure Leasing and Finance Ltd (ILFS) to conduct a survey and identify the areas where such projects can be constructed.

The survey would be conducted in Nyar, Saryu, Ramganga and Kosi valleys, Additional Chief Secretary Indu Kumar Pandey said.

According to a rough estimate, the government would be generating more than 500 Mw of power once these small hydro projects are constructed in these valleys.

"Through these small projects we will be generating additional power which will also electrify some of the very remote villages of our state," said Pandey.

Significantly, big dams like Tehri, Loharinag Pala and Maneri Bhali phase II are being built in Bhagirathi and Alaknanda valleys where the water discharge is quite high.

While most of the projects are likely to be handed over to the private sector, some may be given to local cooperatives at village-level.

The government is also keen to replicate in other areas the Karmi village experiment in Bageshwar district where villagers have constructed a small hydel project which is electrifying 5 to 6 villages now.

According to the Uttarakhand budget 2007-08, Uttarakhand has already identified 20,000 MW of hydel power. Nearly 400 projects in this regard have also been identified.

But till now, Uttarakhand is generating only 2819 MW of power. At present, different projects with the capacity of generating 1,1480 MW of power are being built across the state.