The Busines Line 28.07.2009
NHPC rises to new highs to light up Leh, Kargil
| The region now is dependent mostly on diesel generator sets. |
— Anil Sasi 
High altitude projects: Construction work in full swing at NHPC’s Nimoo Bazgo power project in Leh.
Anil Sasi
Recently in Leh At well over 10,000 feet, NHPC Ltd’s Nimoo Bazgo and Chutak hydro projects are among the highest in the world.
With construction running pretty much on schedule, the two high altitude projects, being set up on rugged Himalayan terrain, promise to light up the Leh and Kargil regions, respectively.
The region depends mainly on diesel generator sets, currently. As a result, electricity in this northernmost frontier is both prohibitively expensive and grossly inadequate.
While the project in Leh is slated for commissioning by end-2010 and the Kargil project by the beginning of 2011.
“These are among the highest projects executed in the world. The region is dependent on diesel generator sets and a handful of micro- hydel projects at present. The projects hold a lot of promise for the Ladakh region,” said Mr H. N. Satyanarayana, NHPC’s Senior Manager (Civil), at the Nimoo Bazgo project site.
The 45-MW Nimoo Bazgo project, at above 11,000 feet, is a run-of-the-river scheme to harness the hydropower potential of the Indus in Leh district of Jammu and Kashmir. The 44-MW Chutak project is being set up on the Suru river in Kargil.
Ladakh combines the conditions of both arctic and desert climate, which means that NHPC and its civil contractor for both projects — Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) — get a lead time of just five-six months in a year for actual work on the ground.
The Leh project is under construction and will generate around 239 million units in a 90 per cent dependable year, with cost of energy working out to Rs 5.80 a unit against the current cost of generation from DG sets of nearly Rs 15 a unit.
The two projects, which have bagged CDM (clean development mechanism) registrations, will provide pollution-free power.
“Both at Nimoo Bazgo and Chutak, the difficult terrain and the hostile weather conditions made the work very challenging and the work needs to be completed before the roads became snowbound in winter,” said Mr S. Majumdar, HCC’s Deputy Project Manager at the Leh site.
Besides, the altitude takes its toll on both men and machinery. HCC has suffered casualties in the Leh sites, with workers affected by altitude sickness.
A considerable amount of the power generated from the projects is slated to go to the Army. The Ladakhi people are also waiting for electricity from the projects to cope with the extreme temperature swings, which move between 39 degrees centigrade in peak summer and minus 29 degrees in the winter.
Besides, steady power supply holds the promise of development for the desolate region.
