Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 2: The National Hydro-electric Power Corporation (NHPC) said today that 330 MW Kishanganga hydropower project in Gurez area of Bandipora district over river Kishanganga in the Kashmir valley has been fully completed. The project is scheduled to be formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Jammu and Kashmir in May.
The project was fully commissioned with synchronising of third unit of 110 MW on March 30, 2018, official sources said.
“The third unit (110MW) of the Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project (3 x 110MW) of NHPC at Bandipora, Jammu & Kashmir has been successfully synchronized with the Grid and has also achieved its rated full load successfully at 2358 hours on March 30, 2018,” an NHPC statement said.
It further said this marks the commissioning of all three units of Kishanganga project, as the first and second units have already been commissioned on March 13 and 21, 2018, respectively.
The Kishanganga project envisages diversion of water of Kishanganga river to underground power house through 23.25 KM long head race tunnel to generate 1,713 million units per annum. The project is covered under the Indus Waters Treaty signed between India and Pakistan.
Apart from the many States which would be the project’s energy beneficiaries, 12 per cent power generated from the project shall be provided to the State of Jammu & Kashmir.
The NHPC said that the cooperation of the local community near project vicinity, district and State administration and other stake holders was instrumental in completing the project.
The work on Kishanganga project, which comprised of three units of 110 MW each, was started in January, 2009.
The sanctioned cost of project was Rs 3,642.04 crore and revised cost has touched Rs 5,783.17 crore.
Sources said though the project was fully commissioned, the formal inauguration of the project could be done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Jammu and Kashmir in May this year when he would inaugurate and lay foundation stone of many more developmental projects including Zojila tunnel to provide all weather connectivity to strategically significant Ladakh region, several upcoming National Highways and major road projects and attend a function at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology (SKUAST) in Kashmir.
Pakistan had repeatedly raised objections over Kishanganga project, which had been turned down by the Government of India.
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