Govt, SJVNL to jointly appoint evaluator for three projects: CM

The state government and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVNL) have agreed to appoint an independent evaluator to assess the expenditure made on three hydroelectric power projects at Sunni, Luhri and Dhaulasidh, which Himachal wants to take back from the Central public sector enterprise.

“We have accepted the request of the SJVNL for the appointment of an independent evaluator to assess the expenditure incurred by it on the three hydroelectric projects so that we can take them back and execute them at our own level. The independent evaluator will be selected jointly by a committee having representatives of both Himachal Government and SJVNL,” said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu while talking to The Tribune here today.

Sukhu said, “Himachal wants the three projects — Sunni (382 MW), Luhri State-I (210 MW) and Dhaulasidh (66MW) — to be returned to the state government as the terms and conditions agreed upon during the tenure of the previous government are not in the interest of the state.” The Chief Minister wanted that the state government’s share of free power (royalty) must go up from a static 12 per cent to 18 per cent and 30 per cent and the projects be returned to it after 40 years.

The Chief Minister had raised the issue of the return of these three hydroelectric projects with Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in November 2024, who had set January 15, 2025, as the deadline for resolving the dispute. Now, with the SJVNL not agreeing to the new terms of enhanced free power and the return of the projects after 40 years laid down by the state government, an independent evaluator is being appointed. The Cabinet in its meeting on April 6, 2025, had given the go-ahead to the government to take over these three hydroelectric projects from the SJVNL and return the money spent on their execution till now.

It is through a letter dated May 16 this year that the SJVNL had approached the state government for the appointment of an independent evaluator. In the letter, the SJVNL had proposed to engage a specialised agency, preferably through a limited tender of the four big consulting agencies like Deloitte, Ernst and Young, KPMC and PwC, which possess the requisite expertise in such valuations.

The proposal by the SJVNL mentions the inclusion of two nominated members of the rank of Chief Engineer/Superintending Engineer from the state government to the tender evaluation committee and the cost of the engagement to be jointly shared by both parties.

Higher royalty as free electricity

• Himachal wants the three projects — Sunni (382 MW), Luhri State-I (210 MW) and Dhaulasidh (66MW) — to be returned to the government, as the terms and conditions agreed upon during the tenure of the previous government are not in the interest of the state, says the Chief Minister
• He wants that the state government’s share of free power (royalty) should be increased from a static 12 per cent to 18 per cent and 30 per cent and the hydropower projects be returned to it after 40 years