Shimla: The Himachal state government is in the process of harnessing renewable energy sources (hydro and solar energy) and setting up of Renewable Energy Infrastructure in the Lahaul-Spiti district. Through nine big hydro projects proposed on Chenab basin, the state government intends to harness 1405 MW of power, while 5.2 MW of power through 4 projects has already been harnessed.
So far, the government has allotted 13 hydroelectric projects with aggregate capacity of 1410 MW to various power utilities along with private developers. Out of these, 4 hydroelectric projects with aggregate capacity 5.2 MW have been commissioned namely Sissu (0.1 MW), Biling (0.2 MW), Lingti (0.4 MW) and Thirot (4.5 MW) and 9 hydroelectric projects are under various stages of clearances and investigation.
During the recently held budget session of the Assembly, Lahaul-Spiti MLA Ravi Thakur had asked the government whether it will set up renewal energy infrastructure in the district.
In response, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the projects which are under clearances and investigation will be executed as per the detailed project report (DPR) and techno economic clearance (TEC) schedule in future. He said that as far as solar energy is concerned, HPSEBL has proposed to install 2 MW Solar Power Project at Kaza in Spiti valley of district and the tenders for this project have already been called on and the completion period for this project is 18 months from the date of award of contract.
Sukhu said that SJVN Limited has also planned to set up an 880 MW Solar Park at Kaza, but it is still under statutory Forest Conservation Act (FCA) clearance stage.
A report ‘Changing the Colours of Chenab’ on the ‘hydropower development’ in Lahaul valley, prepared by Himdhara, an Environment Research and Action Collective, had said that Chenab river basin is the last frontier of hydropower development in Himachal Pradesh, the only large river basin where hydro projects are still to come up.
The report had stated that in the 130 kms stretch of the Chenab (falling in Lahaul and Chamba districts), 49 hydro-projects are under different stages of implementation, most of these being in the Lahaul Valley. Of the five major river basins in Himachal Pradesh, the Chenab basin is the least exploited basin for Hydro power generation.
The chief minister in his budget speech has already announced that stimulus will be given to exploit hydro power terming it as an important form of Green Energy. He said that hydropower projects with a capacity of 1,000 MW will be completed in 2023-24 and the work on Parvati-II, Tidong-I, Shelty-Masrang and Lambadag will be completed.
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