Himachal hydropower station achieves record generation

October 9th, 2009 SHIMLA - Former Himachal Pradesh minister and Congress rebel Vijai Singh Mankotia Friday demanded a judicial probe into how a multi-million dollar hydropower project was contracted to Dutch firm Brakel. The Himachal Pradesh High Court Oct 7 cancelled the allotment of the project to Brakel on the petition filed by Reliance Infrastructure Ltd.

September 16th, 2009 SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh will explore the possibility of creating a hydropower fund for the benefit of small, mini and micro hydropower producers in the state, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said here Wednesday. "The government is planning to create a hydropower fund to assist the small, mini and micro hydropower producers," he said at a seminar organised by Himurja (state energy development agency) and the Himalaya Power Producers Association.

September 8th, 2009 SHIMLA - Hydropower generation in Himachal Pradesh has dipped 35-40 percent in the past two months because of deficient monsoon, affecting electricity supplies to Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. "Generation dipped in July and August because of low flow of water in the rivers," said Suneel Grover, director of generation at the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board.

August 10th, 2009 RAMPUR - India's biggest hydropower project, the 1500MW Nathpa-Jhakri power station generated a record 1.14 billion units of power in July, officials said on Sunday. The power plant in Himachal Pradesh usually produces 6.6 billion units of power a year.

August 9th, 2009 RAMPUR - The 1500-megawatt Nathpa-Jhakri Power Station (NJPS) in Himachal Pradesh generated a record 114 crore units of power in the month of July, officials said on Sunday. The power plant usually produces 6.6 billion units of power a year.

July 25th, 2009 SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh, which has a potential to generate 20,416 MW hydroelectric power, has decided to set up 50 new micro hydel projects with the help of small players. "The government has identified 50 mini hydroelectric projects across the state ranging up to 5 MW.

July 23rd, 2009 SHIMLA - Mumbai-based ship building major ABG Shipyard Ltd has been allotted three hydroelectric projects in Himachal Pradesh after global bidding, an official said Thursday. "The government has allotted three out of five major hydropower projects to ABG Shipyard Ltd of Mumbai.

July 14th, 2009 SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh Tuesday asked mini hydropower project producers to provide funds for the development of the areas where the power plants have been commissioned, a government spokesperson said. "The state government decided that all private power producers generating hydroelectricity up to 100 KW (0.1 MW) will have to provide three percent of the income generated from the project to the local gram panchayat for the first 12 years and six percent thereafter.

July 10th, 2009 SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh Friday got its first private radio station with the launch of Reliance's BIG FM station. The station was launched by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal.

July 1st, 2009 SHIMLA - Punjab and Haryana have started getting more electricity from Himachal Pradesh from Wednesday, say officials. "Now, Punjab will get an additional 10 lakh units and Haryana four lakh units daily till the month-end," said Suneel Grover, Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board's director of generation.

June 5th, 2009 SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh, which has begun selling hydropower to energy-deficient Haryana and Delhi, will begin supplying electricity to neighbouring Punjab next week. "We (the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board) will start feeding two million units daily to Punjab from June 1," board's director of generation Sunil Grover told IANS.

February 24th, 2009 SHIMLA - Hydroelectric power generation in Himachal Pradesh has fallen 75 to 80 percent this winter after several water channels froze across the state, triggering a shortage of 1,000 million units per day, officials said. 'Hydropower generation in all our run-of-river plants has dipped 75 to 80 percent due to decline in water levels,' Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) power (generation) director Sunil Grover told IANS.

February 13th, 2009 SHIMLA - The economy of Himachal Pradesh is expected to grow at 7.7 percent this fiscal, higher than the national estimate of 7.1 percent, according to the state's economic survey report. 'The growth rate of the hill state has been estimated at 7.7 percent, whereas the growth at the national level is 7.1 percent,' said the report, which was tabled in the state assembly Friday.

January 27th, 2009 SHIMLA - Acting tough against errant private power producers, the Himachal Pradesh government has cancelled allotment of seven mini hydropower projects, an official said Wednesday. 'The government has cancelled the allotment of seven micro hydropower projects allotted across the state.

January 13th, 2009 SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh has asked hydropower major Jaypee Karacham Hydropower to relocate its transmission lines in the state to avoid felling of trees, Forest Minister J.P. Nadda said here Wednesday.