HimVani
Shimla (July 3): After courting much controversy, India’s largest hydropower project, in private sector, Karcham Wangtoo (1000 MW), in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh is scheduled for commissioning by August 15 this year.
Plagued by constant opposition from the environmental activists and locals, the project remained the centre of anti-dam protests in the state. The project will utilise the head available between the tail waters of Baspa-II hydroelectric project in Kinnaur and the head waters of Nathpa- Jhakri hydroelectric project . The project’s reach is between Karcham and Wangtoo villages in Kinnaur, upstream of Nathpa-Jhakri. Locals have claimed that the project caused widespread change in the topograpy of the area with frequent landslides causing threat to villages.
The four turbines of 250 MW capacity each made by Germany-based Andritz Hydro Company have the potential to generate 1,200 MW of hydel power. The project envisages annual generation of approximately 4358 MU of energy during 90% dependable year. “The 250 Mega Watt capacity first unit of the project was
commissioned on 26th May 2011 Second Unit of 250 Mega Watt capacity
was commissioned on 23rd June, 2011. The third unit of 250 MW capacity is likely to be commissioned by 20th July, 2011. The last unit of 250 MW capacity is expected to be made operational by August 15, 2011 and thus making it the largest Hydro-electric project to be commissioned in private sector in the Country,” said D P Goyal, MD, Karcham wangtu hydro electric project.
The Company is already running two Hydro-power Projects of 300 MW capacity Baspa-II in Himachal Pradesh and 400 MW capacity Vishnuprayag Hydro-power Project in Uttarakhand having combined capacity of 700 MW.
