Dearth of pvt players in hydropower sector: JSW
Sumayyah Qureshi
Tribune News Service
Karcham, October 14
Despite demand for electricity in the country growing, there is a dearth of private players in the sector.
While the total hydropower generation capacity of the country is about 45 GW, the private sector generates a mere 3.2 GW, of which 1.3 GW is generated by the Karcham Wangtoo and Baspa hydroelectric projects.
The 1,000-MW Karcham Wangtoo hydroelectric project, the biggest private facility in the country, is based on the Sutlej in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district. A run-of-the-river project of JSW Energy, it was commissioned in 2011.
During an interaction with mediapersons in Kinnaur recently, Sharad Mahendra, Chief Operating Officer, JSW Energy, said “12 per cent of the power generated from the project is given to Himachal as royalty and the rest is sold to Haryana, UP, Punjab and Rajasthan”.
Mahendra said: “The private sector participation (in the hydropower sector) is limited as compared to the thermal energy sector.”
JSW Energy forayed into the hydropower sector with the acquisition of Himachal Baspa Power Company Ltd plants at Karcham and Baspa in 2015 (FY16) from Jaiprakash Power Ventures. The project catchment area is 48,755 sq km (79.5% snow area) and the height of the dam is 88 metre.
The Karcham Wangtoo hydel project has witnessed a dip in power production as compared to last year. This could be attributed to the water flow and the amount of snowfall received.
Mahendra said this year the electricity generation was lower. The amount of snow received in a particular year affected power generation in the next year.
On expansion plans, he said: “There are no plans for expansion in Himachal, but we are evaluating various opportunities. The hydropower sector is going through stress.”
Mahendra said work would soon be started again on the 240-MW Kuther hydel project in Chamba district. He said the hydro policy of the state and the Centre made the project viable. “The banking sector is not looking towards the power sector in a positive way in terms of lending. Without power purchase agreements (PPAs), we would like to wait with uncertainty. Without PPAs, it is not easy to get loans. We are waiting for PPAs and we are hopeful,” he said.
The JSW COO said Himachal was the first state to come up with hydro policy changes.
Environment-friendly, says Mahendra
- Sharad Mahendra, COO, JSW, said it was a big misconception that hydro projects disturbed the environment. “These are environment-friendly. Sometimes, it is easy to mitigate challenges at a short notice and sometimes, it takes time. There has been no temperature rise in this belt. In terms of warming and greenery getting affected, we are taking care of that,” he said.
- On locals not being happy as they had not been adequately compensated for the land acquired, Mahendra said: “As such, locals not being happy is not the feel we get. Initially, yes they were (not happy). When we took over, there were challenges and there was a lot of discontentment among them. We have a group policy and we have implemented that in totality in terms of the work done.”
- He said adequate measures and steps had been taken to uplift the area.
