Damaged last year, Mandi's Larji dam unit resumes power generation

Shimla, January 18

One unit of the 126 MW Larji hydropower project in Mandi district has again started electricity generation. The project was extensively damaged during the monsoon on July 9 last year.

The Unit-I of the project was restored on January 15 and it would produce around six to eight lakh units of energy per day, thus generating an estimated revenue of Rs 50 lakh to Rs 72 lakh for the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB). Three units of the Larji hydroelectric project were damaged due to flashfloods in July last year. However, on January 15, the first unit started operating again.

The HPSEB has set May 2024 as target to make the unit II and III operational, which will involve the replacement of damaged components.

Once all its units are completely restored, the Larji project is poised to generate about 620 million units per year and an annual revenue of about Rs 310 crore. This will be done through power purchase agreements based on an average energy purchase rate of Rs 5 per unit.

The Larji hydroelectric project, with a total capacity of 126 MW, had been operational since 2006-07 before it was submerged on July 9, 2023. Prior to this, the project had generated 104.30 giga units, surpassing its yearly generation target.