By IANS
Jammu : The Jammu and Kashmir government is seeking help from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to enhance power generation in the state, which has not been able to generate even one-tenth of the 20,000 MW hydropower potential it has.
“The discussions are at a preliminary stage and we do hope that we can work out an arrangement with the ADB to put our plans into action in the power sector,” Power Minister Rigzin Jora told IANS Friday.
He was speaking after government representatives led by Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had detailed discussions with a visiting ADB team in Srinagar Thursday.
The state government is looking at a long-term relationship with the ADB to tap the power generation potential.
The ADB team led by Theva Kumar Kandiah, director of energy (South Asia division), assured the chief minister of full cooperation for development of hydel power potential, system improvement programmes and capacity building of various state institutions including the Power Development Corporation, an official spokesman said.
Jammu and Kashmir’s three major rivers of the Chenab, the Indus and the Jhelum have the potential to generate more than 20,000 MW of power according to the 2007-2008 economic survey of the state government.
The state currently generates less than 1,200 MW of power, at least 600 MW short of the total requirement. The generation falls further during winters because of the low water level in the rivers.
“First, we are allowing our hydro-electric potential generation to go waste and, secondly, we have to spend more than Rs.800 crore (Rs.8 billion) every year to purchase power,” said an official of the power development department.
“We do not have enough power supply to lure industrialists to invest in the state and that is adding to our economic woes and also adding to the problem of unemployment.”