Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today laid the foundation stones of two solar energy plants which together willgenerate 5.864 megawatts of power, describing it as a significant step towards generating alternative energy in the state.
Set up at a cost of Rs 49 crore by Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL), one plant with an installed capacity of 1.466 mw will come up at Dhakrani while the other one will come up at Khodri with an installed capacity of 4.398 mw, an official release here said.
"This is an occasion when we have made a significant beginning towards alternative energy generation," Rawat said.
UJVNL can set up solar plants along the banks of canals and help the state government achieve the target of generating 50-60 mw of solar power per annum at a time when many of Uttarakhand's hydel projects are stalled due to environmental concerns, Rawat said.
Rawat expressed hope that Uttarakhand will be treated on par with Jammu and Kashmir and the North-Eastern states when it came to resumption of stalled hydel projects.
He also said that if the problem of rehabilitating displaced people is handled properly even big dams don't harm the environment and cited the examples of Bhakra Nangal and Narmada dams.
Rawat said Tehri dam in the state also played a big role in containing the effects of the 2013 calamity.
