NHPC project to start power generation soon

State-run National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), country's largest hydro power utility, will begin generation from the 280 Megawatt Dhauliganga power project next month with the commissioning of the first unit.

The first unit of the 4x70 mw plant on river Dhauliganga will become functional in March and the other three units will start generation by August-September 2005, SK Aggarwal, general manager of the project, said.

The hydel project will generate 1,134 million units of electricity, which will be evacuated by a transmission line of power grid corporation for supplying to the northern grid.

Besides Uttaranchal, which will get 12 per cent of the electricity free, other beneficiary states include Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Built at an estimated cost of Rs 1,578 crores, the run-of-the-river project is funded by the Japanese Bank of International Cooperation, which has given a loan of ¥21,985 million (approx Rs 924 crore).

The project in Pithoragarh district on the Indo-Nepal border entails the construction of a 56-metre high dam, a 750-metre long diversion tunnel and a 5.3 km long head race tunnel through which water will be taken downstream to an underground power house consisting of four turbines where electricity will be generated.

A 437-metre long tail race tunnel will then take the water back to the river.