By IANS,
Shimla : Twenty-one small hydropower projects of up to 5 MW capacity each would be commissioned in Himachal Pradesh this year, an official said here Friday.
“Twenty-one hydropower projects with a combined generation capacity of 66 MW would start generating power by the end of this year,” the state’s Principal Secretary (Non-Conventional Energy Sources) Ajay Mittal said while addressing independent power producers (IPPs).
Himurja, a state-run agency that is allocating and executing mini hydro projects in the state, had allotted 485 projects with a capacity of 1,214 MW to the IPPs in the state and 35 projects of 138 MW have already started energy production, he added.
Chief Secretary Rajwant Sandhu said single window clearance and monitoring committees have been constituted to ensure speedy clearances and effective monitoring of implementation of small hydro projects in the state.
She urged the entrepreneurs to undertake developmental works in the project areas as part of their social responsibility.
Himachal Pradesh has abundant water resources with a power potential of about 23,000 MW. About 6,480 MW has been harnessed till now by the central and state governments, private players and joint venture companies.