Hydroelectric power in Himachal Pradesh

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Bhakra Dam Hydroelectric Project Bhakra Dam Aug 15 2008.JPG
Bhakra Dam Hydroelectric Project

The Indian state Himachal Pradesh has a large number hydroelectricity resources, about twenty five percent of the national potential. About 27,436 MW of hydroelectric power can be generated in the state by the construction of various hydroelectric projects on the five perennial river basins. Out of total hydroelectric potential of the state, 10,519 MW is harnessed so far, out of which 7.6% is under the control of Himachal Pradesh Government while the rest is exploited by the Central Government. The state government has been giving the highest priority for its development, since hydroelectric generation can meet the growing need of power for industry, agriculture and rural electrification. It is also the biggest source of income to the state as it provides electricity to other states.

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Although Himachal has enough resources to generate surplus power, in winter less flow of water in rivers and increase in lighting and heating load can result in power shortages that overshoot ten lakh units per day. Due to increased industrialization and rural electrification this figure is expected to rise even further.

Completed projects

Girinagar Hydel Project

Situated on the river Girinagar of the Sirmour District, Girinagar Hydel project has an installed capacity of 60 MW, with 2 units of 30 MW each. This project, which is run-off-the-river scheme comes under HPSEB [1] and is operational for 29 years.

This project was completed in 1966 by the state government.

Binwa Hydel Project

The project has an installed capacity of 6 MW comprising 2 units of 3 MW each. It is located near Baijnath in District Kangra. The project is situated 25 km from Palampur and 14 km from Baijnath and is constructed at an elevation of 1515 meters above sea level. This project constitutes a 62-meter-long tunnel that connects trench weirs in Banu Khad and Prahal Khud.

Sanjay Vidyut Pariyojna

Located in the Kinnaur district on the river Bhaba, it is a completely underground project with an installed capacity of 120 MW, comprising 3 units each of 40 MW. The uniqueness of this project lies in its underground switchyard, a feature that no other hydel project in Asia can brag about. Completed in 1989-90, the estimated cost was about 167 crore rupees. The total length of tunnels including those secured in after completing the project is 12 km.

Bassi Hydroelectric Project

Bassi project (66 MW) is an extension of Beas Power House (Mandi District) constituting 4 units of 16.5 MW each. It utilizes the tail water of Shannon Power House of Joginder Nagar project.

Larji Hydroelectric Project

Larji hydroelectric project is on river Beas in Kullu district with an installed capacity of 126 MW. In 2014, 14 Students died due to releasing its waters. [2] The project was completed in September 2007. [3]

Andhra Hydel Project

Commissioned during the year 1987-88, this project has 3 units of 5.5 MW thus making 16.5 MW of installed capacity. It is located in Rohru tehsil of Shimla district. The cost of the project was estimated to be around 9.74 crores, transmitting to the state grid via the Nogli power house near Rampur.

Rongtong Hydel Project.

Rongtong is a 2 MW project that is located in the Lahaul-Spiti district on Rongtong Nullaha, a tributary of Spiti river. Located at an elevation of 3,600 metres in a snow adhered region, it was the first hydel project executed for the socio-economic upliftment of the tribals of this area. It is one of the highest in the world. The snow fed water runnel tapped at an elevation of 3,788 m is diverted through 2,825 m long channel and 259 m long tunnel into an open reservoir with a capacity of 14,000 cubic m. Renovated by APE Power Pvt. Ltd., APE Power also renovate RUKTI (4 × 375 KW) Hydro Electric project.

Baner and Neugal Project

With a combined installed capacity of 12 MW these projects are situated on Baner and Neugal streams respectively in Kangra District. Both of the streams emerge from Dhauladhar and join Beas in the form of tributaries in south.

Nathpa Jhakri Project

One of the major project on the Sutlej river is the Nathpa Jhakri Dam which generates nearly 1500 MW of electricity. The project is funded by the World Bank. [4] Its construction cost is around 8000 crores. It is in 2 districts; the powerhouse is in Shimla and the dam is in Nathpa which is in Kinnaur district

Sainj Hydroelectric Project

It has an installed Capacity 100 MW. (2×50 MW). It is situated in Kullu district.

Bhakra Dam

The Bhakra Dam is the first dam to have come up on the Satluj river, it is one of the highest gravity dams in the world and has an installed capacity of 1325 MW. The dam holds excess waters during the monsoon and provides a regulated release during the year. It also prevents damage due to monsoon floods. The dam provides irrigation to 10 million acres (40,000 km²) of fields in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Bhakra Dam is established in 1954.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himachal Pradesh</span> State in northern India

Himachal Pradesh is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterised by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks and extensive river systems. Himachal Pradesh is the northernmost state of India and shares borders with the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to the north, and the states of Punjab to the west, Haryana to the southwest, Uttarakhand to the southeast and a very narrow border with Uttar Pradesh to the south. The state also shares an international border to the east with the Tibet Autonomous Region in China. Himachal Pradesh is also known as Dev Bhoomi or Dev Bhumi, meaning 'Land of Gods' and Veer Bhoomi which means 'Land of the Brave'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beas River</span> River in north India

The Beas River is a river in north India. The river rises in the Himalayas in central Himachal Pradesh, India, and flows for some 470 kilometres (290 mi) to the Sutlej River in the Indian state of Punjab. Its total length is 470 kilometres (290 mi) and its drainage basin is 20,303 square kilometres (7,839 sq mi) large.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kullu district</span> District of Himachal Pradesh, India

Kullu is a district in Himachal Pradesh, India. It borders Shimla district to the south, Mandi and Kangra districts to the west, Kinnaur to the east and the Lahaul and Spiti district to the north and east. The largest valley in this mountainous district is the Kullu Valley. The Kullu valley follows the course of the Beas River, and ranges from an elevation of 833 m above sea level at Aut to 3330 m above sea level at the Atal Tunnel South Portal, below the Rohtang Pass. The town of Kullu, located on the right side of the Beas River, serves as the administrative headquarters of the Kullu district. The Kullu district also incorporates several riverine tributary valleys of the Beas, including those of the Parvati, Sainj, and Tirthan rivers, and thus some regions somewhat distant from the Kullu valley. The economy of the district relies mainly on horticulture, agriculture, tourism, and traditional handicrafts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manali, Himachal Pradesh</span> Town in India

Manali is a town, near Kullu town in Kullu district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is situated in the northern end of the Kullu Valley, formed by the Beas River. The town is located in the Kullu district, approximately 270 kilometres (170 mi) north of the state capital of Shimla and 544 kilometres (338 mi) northeast of the national capital of New Delhi. With a population of 8,096 people recorded in the 2011 Indian census Manali is the beginning of an ancient trade route through Lahaul (H.P) and Ladakh, over the Karakoram Pass and onto Yarkand and Hotan in the Tarim Basin of China. Manali is a popular tourist destination in India and serves as the gateway to the Lahaul and Spiti district as well as the city of Leh in Ladakh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sutlej</span> River in Asia

The Satluj River is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroads region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. The Sutlej River is also known as Satadru. It is the easternmost tributary of the Indus River. The Bhakra Dam is built around the river Sutlej to provide irrigation and other facilities to the states of Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhakra Dam</span> Dam in Himachal Pradesh, India

Bhakra Nangal Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Satluj River in Bhakra Village near Bilaspur in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The dam forms the Gobind Sagar reservoir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Himachal Pradesh</span>

The state of Himachal Pradesh is spread over an area 55,673 km2 (21,495 sq mi) and is bordered by Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on the north, Punjab on the southwest, Haryana on the south, Uttarakhand on the southeast, a small border with Uttar Pradesh in the south, and Tibet on the east. Entire Himachal Pradesh lies in the mountainous Himalaya region, rich in natural resources

The North Indian state of Himachal Pradesh is a state that has remained largely uninfluenced by Western culture. Himachal Pradesh is a multi-religion practising, multicultural and multilingual state. Some of the most commonly spoken languages are Hindi and the various Pahari languages. The Hindu communities residing in Himachal include the Brahmins, Rajputs, Kannets, Rathis and Kolis. There are also tribal population in the state which mainly comprise Gaddis, Kinnarms, Gujjars, Pangawals and Lahaulis.

Himachal Pradesh, although railways and airways serve very limited transport needs, the road network of the state serves the transport needs of the people. Although, the geography of Himachal presents considerable challenge to the development of transport infrastructure, it has the highest road density among all the Hill States of India. Himachal also has 3 airports, 2 narrow gauge rail tracks and couple of other under-construction broad gauge railway tracks, but roads remain the main mode of transport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association</span> Governing body of cricket in Himachal Pradesh, India

Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association is the governing body of the Cricket activities in the Himachal Pradesh state of India and the Himachal Pradesh cricket team. It is affiliated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himachal Pradesh Police</span> Indian state police force

The Himachal Pradesh Police is the law enforcement agency for the state of Himachal Pradesh in India. It has one state headquarters at Shimla and 12 district headquarters in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koldam Dam</span> Dam in Bilaspur district

The Koldam Hydropower Station, commonly known as Koldam, is an embankment dam on the Sutlej River upstream of the Dehar Power House. It is 18 km from Bilaspur off the Chandigarh-Manali Highway (NH-21) near Barmana, Himachal Pradesh, India. The main purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and it will support an 800 MW power station. The dam was constructed by NTPC Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pandoh Dam</span> Dam in Mandi district

The Pandoh Dam is an embankment dam on the Beas River in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Under the Beas Project, the dam was completed in 1977 and its primary purpose is hydroelectric power generation. Part of a run-of-the-river power scheme, it diverts the waters of the Beas to the southwest through a 38 km (24 mi) long system of tunnels and channels. The water is used for power generation at the Dehar Power House before being discharged into the Sutlej River, connecting both rivers. The power house has an installed capacity of 990 MW. The system diverts 256 cumecs of Beas waters to the Satluj River. The project was completed in 1977.

The Pong Dam, also known as the Beas Dam, is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Beas River in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India, just upstream of Talwara. The purpose of the dam is water storage for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation. As the second phase of the Beas Project, construction on the dam began in 1961 and was completed in 1974. At the time of its completion, the Pong Dam was the tallest of its type in India. The lake created by the dam, Maharana Pratap Sagar, became a renowned bird sanctuary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karcham Wangtoo Hydroelectric Plant</span> Dam

The Karcham Wangtoo Hydroelectric Plant is a 1,091 megawatts (1,463,000 hp) run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station on the Sutlej River in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh state of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Himalayas</span> Western section of the Himalayas

The Western Himalayas refers to the western half of the Himalayas, in northwestern India and northern Pakistan. Four of the five tributaries of the Indus River in Punjab rise in the Western Himalayas; while the fifth, the Sutlej cuts through the range after rising in Tibet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Himachal Pradesh</span> Tourism in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh

Tourism in Himachal Pradesh relates to tourism in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. This is popularly renowned for its Himalayan landscapes and popular hill-stations. Many outdoor activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking, paragliding, ice-skating, trekking, rafting, and heli-skiing are popular tourist attractions in Himachal Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhaba Pass</span> Mountain pass in India

Bhaba Pass, also known as Bhawa Pass, is a high mountain pass situated in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh in the Indian Himalayas. It is located on the border of Kinnaur district and Lahaul and Spiti District, and borders Pin Valley National Park and the Rupi-Bhaba Wildlife Sanctuary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SJVN</span> Indian power generation company

SJVN, formerly known as Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, is an Indian public sector undertaking involved in hydroelectric power generation and transmission. It was incorporated in 1988 as Nathpa Jhakri Power Corporation, a joint venture between the Government of India and the Government of Himachal Pradesh. The company has a total operating hydropower capacity of 1912 MW through its two hydropower plants—Nathpa Jhakri and Rampur. In addition, it has an installed capacity of 97.6 MW of wind power and 81.9 MW of solar power.

References

  1. "HPSEBL". hpseb.com. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  2. "Largi Hydroelectric Project JH00501 -". india-wris.nrsc.gov.in. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  3. "Larji Hydro Electric Project inaugurated". The Hindu. 24 September 2007. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  4. Power resources of Himachal