CEA GIVES CLEARANCE TO UHL STAGE-III IN H.P.

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Central Electricity Authority has accorded techno-economic clearance to Uhl Stage III Hydro Electric Project to be set up by Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) at an estimated current cost of Rs.431 crore including interest during construction and financing cost to the tune of Rs.67 crore. Uhl-III Hydro Electric Project comprising two generating units of 50 MW each will be located in the Beas river basin in Mandi District of Himachal Pradesh and will utilise the water released from the existing Bassi Power House together with waters of Neri and Rana streams for power generation in a run-of-river type Hydro Electric Scheme.

The project is expected to yield annual energy generation of about 391 GWh in a normal year and provide peaking capacity benefit to the power system. The project was offered to private sector by the Himachal Pradesh Government in 1992 and a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with Ballapur Industries Ltd. Since no headway could be made by the company in implementing the project for seven year, the Government of Himachal Pradesh terminated the MoU in 1999 and decided to implement the project in the State Sector. HPSEB then formulated a revised project configuration considering additional hydrological data of the period 1987 to 1998, based on which this techno-economic clearance has been issued by CEA. The project is programmed to be completed by March, 2007. Himachal Pradesh has surplus power in summer and there is a shortage during winter months. As such, HPSEB intends to export power from this project to Punjab in summer, when they are deficient and import equivalent power from Punjab during winter.