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| 2100 MW projects in pipeline but Baglihar nowhere near completion | | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | June 7
• 150 MW will be in the stream by August this year,
• 150 MW in October and another 150 MW in December
• MoU soon on 2100 MW power in Chenab basin
• Project cost around Rs 16,000 crore
• Chenab has total potential of 10,000 MW
As government sounds its intentions of going ahead with construction work on Kishengaga project despite objections from Pakistan, with addition of this another 300 MW of power, the electricity supply position in Jammu and Kashmir is likely to further improve. The sad news, however, is that Baglihar project is still nowhere near completion and the next deadline has been set for March 2009.
Even though this project comes in the Central sector but Jammu and Kashmir gets a royalty share of 12 per cent out of the total production. Not only, the state government is all set to sign a pact with the National Hydro-electric Power Corporation (NHPC) for 2100 MW projects to be constructed on the River Chenab.
The Union Minister of State for Power, Jairam Ramesh who was in Srinagar said, "the work on the 300 Mega Watt Kishanganga power project is in advanced stage. We need to speed up the work on the project as Pakistan is also constructing a power project on the river with Chinese assistance," Ramesh told reporters here. He said the power project was based on 'run of the water' and did not involve storage of water at any stage.
Asked about the rationale behind constructing two projects on the same river when one of the two will not be viable, Ramesh said the project had great strategic and foreign policy implications. "I am sure Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must have given a thought to it." He said only the Prime Minister or the External Affairs Minister would be able to comment on the issue. "However, we are determined to implement the project which was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2007," he added.
On the Baglihar power project, Ramesh said the first phase of the project will be commission by March next year. "150 MW will be in the stream by August this year, 150 MW in October and another 150 MW in December, but in power sector, what is on paper is not necessarily what happens," he said.
Asked about the funds crunch faced by the project, the Minister said the Centre was very keen that the project is not held up for want of funds. The Minister added the state government had requested for additional central plan assistance of Rs 600 crore for completing the Baglihar project.
The Power Ministry has recommended the case in favour of providing central plan assistance to the Planning Commission. The issue is under the active consideration of the Planning Commission which will take the final decision, he said.
Speaking on the demand for transferring some central power projects to Jammu and Kashmir to compensate the losses suffered by the state on account of Indus water treaty, he said "I am sensitive to the issue." "As soon as I came to Power Ministry, I started discussions with J&K Power Development Corporation (JKPDC) for preparing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for new power projects, Ramesh said.
He said the state will get a minimum of 62 per cent power generated from the power projects constructed under a joint venture between National Hydro-electric Power Corporation and JKPDC.
On this front, the NHPC and J&K Power Development Corporation (JKPDC) are negotiating a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for setting up power projects with capacity to generate 2,100 MW power in Chenab basin in the state. I hope that the MoU will be signed by the end of this month.
Ramesh said the draft for the MoU has been prepared and work on the projects would be started by the proposed joint venture company immediately after it has been signed by the two sides. The JV would construct three projects in Chenab basin.
Ramesh said 1,200 MW Pakaldul power project would be the biggest among the projects to be constructed under the joint venture between NHPC and JKPDC. The other two projects are to be set up at Kiru and Kawar in Chenab basin and would have almost identical generation capacities.
The total cost of the projects would be around Rs 15,000 to Rs 16,000 crore. Once completed, the projects would benefit J&K immensely as the state is guaranteed to get a minimum of 62 per cent of power generated from these projects.
There have been demands from the state for increasing its share of power generated from the projects. J&K would get a minimum of 1,300 MW of power from these projects, Ramesh said.
Ramesh said the joint venture company will be registered in Srinagar and the Chairman of the project will be a nominee of the state government.
He said the youth of the state will get preference in all kinds of jobs that will be created by these projects.
Maximum employment shall be given to the people from Jammu and Kashmir ... Not only in group C and D but in group A and B as well. I have been informed that the state produces 2000 engineers every year, he said. Ramesh said another power project at Ratle with a generation capacity of 690 MW was in the offing which would be the first to implemented by the state government through independent power producers (IPP) scheme.
A detailed project report has been prepared and will be handed over to the state government so that it is also available to the bidders, he said. Ramesh said the state has a potential of generating 16,500 MW power from various water basins which shall be harnessed over the next 10 years.
Over the next 10 years, if we take things seriously, 16,500 MW of power should be developed by central, state and private sector in Jammu and Kashmir, he added.
The Chenab basin in Jammu region alone has a power potential of 10,000 MW while Jhelum basin could produce another 3,000 MW, Indus basin 1,600 MW and Ravi basin 400 MW. The projects currently operational in the state and those under construction have a combined generation capacity of 2,800 MW, which is only 18 to 19 per cent of the total potential, he added. |
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