43 years on, Baggi power plant to see the light of day

CHANDIGARH: The hydro power generation plant at Baggi, which was constructed on the Beas-Sutlej Link (BSL) over four decades ago, will finally become operational as the dispute over royalty and power sharing between member states of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has finally been resolved.

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 22

The hydro power generation plant at Baggi, which was constructed on the Beas-Sutlej Link (BSL) over four decades ago, will finally become operational as the dispute over royalty and power sharing between member states of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has finally been resolved.

The operationalisation of the power plant, which was lying in a disused state since 1976, will add another 40 megawatts (MW) to the BBMB’s power output.

“The decision to make the plant functional was taken by the Board recently,” a senior BBMB official said. “This follows a go- ahead given for the same by the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet, which was crucial since the plant is located in the state,” he said.

Baggi Power Plant comprises two units of 20 MW each. It is situated at the exit of the 13-km-long Pandoh-Baggi tunnel and makes use of the 200-foot height differential to generate hydro electricity. Water then flows on towards the Dehar power plant on the banks of the Sultej and the water from the Beas is then released into the Sutlej.

BBMB member states comprise Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. There was some dispute over the sharing of power produced at Baggi. “It has now been decided that Himachal Pradesh will receive a royalty of 12 per cent of the power generated at this plant and the remaining output would be distributed among the member states in accordance with the laid-down mandate,” the official said.

The power generation, however, will still take some time. “A lot of repair work and refurbishment has to be undertaken before things get going. The surge shaft and pen stocks also require special attention,” he said.

To generate 40MW of electricity

Baggi Power Plant comprises two units of 20 MW each. It is situated at the exit of the 13-km-long Pandoh-Baggi tunnel and makes use of the 200-foot height differential to generate hydropower
The power plant has been in disuse since 1976
The dispute over royalty and power sharing between member states of Bhakra Beas Management Board has been resolved