Hydro Power in Himachal

Introduction :
Himachal Pradesh is extremely rich in hydroelectricity resources. The state is having about 25 % of the National potential in this aspect. It has been estimated that about 2, 244 MW of hydel power can be generated in the state by the construction of various hydel projects on the five perennial river basins. Out of total hydro potential of the state, 3934.74 MW is harnessedso far, out of which 7.6 % is under the control of Himachal Pradesh government while the rest under centre. The state government has been giving the highest priority for its development, since hydel generation can meet the growing need of power for industry, agriculture and rural electrification. It is also the biggest source of the income to the state as it provide electricity to other states also.
Major source for power generation in Himachal Pradesh is hydro power followed by other non-conventional sources of energy. Himachal Pradesh is blessed with significant potential for hydro electricity generation due to thawing of glaciers and frozen lakes. Fed from five mighty snow-fed rivers (Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej & Yamuna) emanating from western Himalayas, state is endowed with a vast hydropower potential of about 18,540 MW (with station installed capacity over 25 MW), which is equivalent to 1/8th of the total hydro power potential assessed in India. Out of this, 52% has been developed and 11 % is in the process of development. State has the largest capacity hydropower station (1500 MW), the largest unit size (250 MW), the largest underground power house cavern and the longest tunnel in operation in the country at Nathpa Jhakri. State also has third highest head hydropower station (Bhava-887m) in operation.

There is no uniformly accepted range of sizes of hydropower stations. However for academic purposes and based on current trend of classification brief description of large, small, micro and micro hydropower capacities is being as under :

Large: Although no official definition exists for the capacity range of large hydroelectric power stations, facilities from over a few hundred megawatts to more than 10 GW are generally considered large hydroelectric facilities. In other words power stations which are not mini, micro and small and are larger than all of these are termed as large.

Small: In India, hydro power projects with a capacity of up to 25 megawatt (MW) fall under the category of small hydro power (SHP) stations. The definition of a small hydro project varies but a generating capacity of 10 megawatts (MW) is generally accepted as the upper limit of what can be termed small hydroplants.

As many as 294 mini and micro hydropower projects in the public and private sectors are coming up in Micro Himachal Pradesh to generate 586 MW of electricity. Mini and micro hydroelectric power projects were allotted to private and joint venture companies
and Himurja (state energy development agency). The tentative cost of all these projects is Rs.4,104.31 crores and these projects would generate 586 MW of power. Most of the projects are located in Kullu, Shimla, Lahaul and Spiti, Mandi, Sirmaur and Kangra districts. Kullu alone has 83 projects.

Micro It is a term used for hydroelectric power installations that typically produce up to 100 KW of power. These installations can provide power to an isolated home or small community, or are sometimes connected to electric power networks. There are many of these installations around the world, particularly in developing nations as they can provide an economical source of energy without purchase of fuel. Micro hydro systems complement photovoltaic solar energy systems because in many areas, water flow, and thus available hydro power, is highest in the winter when solar energy is at a minimum.

Meso/Mini: Less than 5 KW of hydroelectric power is generated in it. It is useful in small, remote communities that require only a small amount of electricity

Completed projects in State :

Girinagar Hydel Project
Situated on the river Giri of the Sirmour District, Girinagar Hydel project has an installed capacity of 60MW, with 2 units of 30MW each. This project, which is run-off-the-river scheme comes under HPSEB[1] and is operational for 29 years.
Binwa Hydel Project

The project with an installed capacity office 16MW comprising 3 units each, is located near Baijnath in District Kangra. The project is situated 25 km from Palampur and 14 km from Baijnath is constructed at an elevation of 1515 mets. above the mean sea level. This project constitutes a 62 mets. long tunnel that connects trench weirs in Banu Khad and Prahal Khud.
Sanjay Vidyut Pariyojna
Located in the Kinnaur district, on the river Bhaba is a completely underground project with an installed capacity of 120MW, comprising 3 units each of 40MW. The uniqueness of this project lies in its underground switchyard, a feature that no other hydel project in Asia can brag about. Completed in 1989-90, the estimated cost was about 167 crore rupees. The total length of tunnels including those secured in after completing the project is 12 km.
Bassi Hydroelectric Project
Bassi project(66MW) is an extension of Beas Power House (Mandi District) constituting 4 units of 16.5MW each. It utilizes the tail water of Shanon Power House of Joginder Nagar project and generates 145MW per annum.
Larji Hydroelectric Project
Larji hydroelectric project is on river Beas in Kullu district with an installed capacity of 126 MW. The project was completed in September 2007.
Andhra Hydel Project
Commissioned during the year 1987-88, the project has 3 units of 5.5MW which makes it 16.5MW of installed capacity. It is located in Rohru tehsil of Shimla district. The cost of the project was estimated to be around 9.74 crores, generating 89MWper annum and it transmitting to the state grid via the Neogli power house near Rampur.
Rongtong Hydel Project
Rongtong is a 2MW project that is located in the Lahaul-Spiti district on Rongtong Nullaha, a tributary of Spiti river. Located at an elevation of 3,600 metres in a snow adhered region, this was the first hydel project executed for the socio-economic upliftment of the tribals of this area. It is one of the highest in the world. The snow fed water runnel tapped at an elevation of 3,788 mets. is diverted through 2,825 mets. long channel and 259 mets. long tunnel into an open reservoir with a capacity of 14,000 cubic mets. Renovated by APE Power Pvt. Ltd., APE Power also renovate RUKTI (4 x 375 KW) Hydro Electric project.
Baner and Neugal Project
With the combined installed capacity of 12MW the projects are situated on Baner and Neugal streams respectively in Kangra District. Both of the streams emerge from Dhauladhar and join Beas in the form of tributaries in south.
Nathpa Jhakri Project
One of the major project on the Sutlej river is the Nathpa Jhakri Dam which generates nearly 1500MW of electricity. The project is funded by World Bank. its construction cost is around 8000 crores.
Sainj Hydroelectric Project
Installed Capacity 100MW. [50MW*2Units]
Bhakra Dam
The Bhakra Dam has the first Dam to have come up on the Satluj river, it is one of the highest gravity dams in the world and has an Installed capacity of 1325 MW. The dam holds excess waters during the monsoon and provides a regulated release during the year . It also prevents damage due to monsoon floods. The dam provides irrigation to 10 million acres (40,000 km²) of fields in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.

Hydropower generating Agencies:

Several agencies have been embarking on the generation of hydropower in the state. Bhakhra Bias Management Board (BBMB- 2711 MW), Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL-1500) and National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC-1038 MW) respectively are the largest power producing organizations. Besides, NHPC Limited is surging ahead in developing hydro power in Himachal Pradesh, thereby changing the socio-economic conditions and augmenting overall development of the region. NHPC Limited has  already commissioned three projects, viz. Baira Siul (198 MW), Chamera Stage – I (540 MW)  and Chamera Stage – II (300 MW). Three more projects, viz.Parbati Stage – II (800 MW), Parbati Stage – III (520 MW) and Chamera Stage – III (231 MW) are under active construction  stage.

Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board has identified 120 power projects with a capacity 17,000 MW (50 per cent projects out of identified project are of 5 to 50 MW generation capacity) in five river basins. Ninety-five per cent projects are run-off-the-river (RoR)type and are located across the rivers Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab, Pabbar (a tributary of Yamuna) and their tributaries. Out of 120 projects, at least 70 per cent have been allotted and these are under different stages of execution. Remaining 30 per cent projects (with a potential generation capacity of about 5000 MW) are yet to be allocated. These projects have been initiated both by
private and public sector players (SVJN, NTPC, NHPC, HPPCL, HPSEB) almost in equal proportion. By the end of 2020, Himachal Pradesh will have an additional power generation of 17,000 MW and state will become “Power State” of the country.

Contribution of Joint Sector:

It is the major electricity generating agency in the state. With the production of 5491 MW out of the total of 6449 MW, it has been contributing about 85 per cent of the total power being produced.

Hydro Policy of Himachal Pradesh

In order to embark upon our ambitious programme in Hydel generation, the Pradesh had formulated its own Hydro-Power Policy in 2006 and has further improved this policy in the last  three years. It seeks to safeguard the interest of the people of the State on one hand and to protect  the delicate ecology and environment on the other. Mandatory provision of 1.5% of project cost  has been kept in the state policy for the development of local area during the construction stage. Besides, a provision for 1% additional free power has been earmarked for development of local area in line with the National Hydro-Policy in post- commissioning scenario.

Advantages of Hydroelectricity

Low power costs: Hydropower is cheap, non-polluting, and many small facilities (less than 30 MW) are considered renewable energy sources. Unlike other sources of energy like nuclear power, the costs of large scale plants is declining because the facilities have been paid for by federal or state projects. Dams and reservoirs also provide recreational opportunities, flood control, irrigation, refuges for wildlife, water supply, and transportation. The cost of operating a hydroelectric plant is nearly immune to increases in the cost of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas or coal, and no imports are needed. The average cost of electricity from a hydro plant larger than 10 megawatts is 3 to 5 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour.

Long economic lives: Hydroelectric plants have long economic lives, with some plants still in service after 50–100 years. Poverty Alleviation: Harnessing hydel energy can be an  effective way of reducing poverty. China and India have already done that successfully. It is not a fruitful idea to keep discussing as to how much the number of people living below the poverty line has come down during the last five years. Considering that even with the reduced percentage, those suffering from acute poverty are still too many to be left on their
own.

Reduction in Pollutants: Since hydroelectric dams do not burn fossil fuels, they do not directly produce carbon dioxide. While some carbon dioxide is produced during manufacture and construction of the project, this is a tiny fraction of the operating emissions of equivalent fossil-fuel electricity generation.

Other uses of the reservoir: Reservoirs created by hydroelectric schemes often provide facilities for water sports, and become tourist attractions themselves. In some countries, aquaculture in reservoirs is common. Multi-use dams installed for irrigation support agriculture with a relatively constant water supply. Large hydro dams can control floods, which would otherwise affect people living downstream of the project.

In nutshell fuel is not burned so there is minimal pollution. Water to run the power plant is provided free by nature. Hydropower plays a major role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. And relatively low operations and maintenance costs. The technology is reliable and proven over time. It's renewable - rainfall renews the water in the reservoir, so the fuel is almost always there.

Disadvantages of Hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity generation is with multiplicity of disadvantages. Some of the main disadvantages are being given below :

Siltation and flow shortage: When water flows it has the ability to transport particles heavier than itself downstream. This has a negative effect on dams and subsequently their power stations, particularly those on rivers or within catchment areas with high siltation. Siltation can fill a reservoir and reduce its capacity to
control floods along with causing additional horizontal pressure on the upstream portion of the dam. Eventually, some reservoirs can become completely full of sediment and useless or over-top during a flood and fail.

Failure risks: Because large conventional dammed-hydro facilities hold back large volumes of water, a failure due to poor construction, terrorism, or other cause can be catastrophic to downriver settlements and infrastructure. Dam failures have been some of the largest man-made disasters in history. Also, good design and construction are not an adequate guarantee of safety.

Methane Emissions:

Lower positive impacts are found in the tropical regions, as it has been noted that the reservoirs of power plants in tropical regions may produce substantial amounts of methane. This is due to plant material in flooded areas decaying in an anaerobic environment, and forming methane, a potent greenhouse gas. According to the World Commission on Dams report, where the reservoir is largecompared to the generating  capacity (less than 100 watts per square metre of surface area).

Rehabilitation: Another disadvantage of hydroelectric dams is the need to relocate the people living where the reservoirs are planned. In February 2008 it was estimated that 40-80 million people worldwide had been physically displaced as a direct result of dam construction. Historically and culturally important sites can be flooded and lost.Due to Bhakra Dam the Bhakra village in Bilaspur distt. submerged in water and people were left with no option but to leave their ancestral land and shifted to new area.

Hydropower and the Environment: Hydropower does not pollute the wateror the air. However, hydropower facilities can have large environmental impacts by changing the environment and affecting land use, homes, and natural habitats in the dam area. Most hydroelectric power plants have a dam and a reservoir. These structures may obstruct fish migration and affect their populations. Operating a hydroelectric power plant may also change the water temperature and the river'sflow. These changes may harm native plants and animals in the river and on land. Reservoirs may cover people's homes, important natural areas, agricultural land, and archaeological sites. So building dams can require relocating people. Methane, a strong greenhouse gas, may also form in some reservoirs and be emitted to the atmosphere.

In fact hydroelectricity eliminates the fuel gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion, including pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, dust, and mercury in the coal. Hydroelectricity also avoids the hazards of coal mining and the indirect health effects of coal emissions. Compared to nuclear power, hydroelectricity generates no nuclear waste, has none of the dangers associated with uranium mining, nor nuclear leaks. Unlike uranium, hydroelectricity is also a renewable energy source. Compared to wind farms, hydroelectricity power plants have a more predictable load factor. If the project has a storage reservoir, it can generate power when needed. Hydroelectric plants can be easily regulated to follow variations in power demand.

Conclusion :

Although hydropower is non-polluting, construction of new facilities is highly controversial because of environmental and social impacts. The best location for plants is often in mountainous or rainy areas where ecosystems are fragile and often protected. New technology along with upgrades in current plants can increase efficiency and create energy sources without disrupting more lands. In financial year 2011-2012, 2090 MW power with the commissioning of the 1000 MW Karcham Wangtoo project, Malana-II (100 MW),
Budhil (70 MW), Chamera-III (231 MW), Parvati (520 MW) and some other small Hydel
Projects was likely to be added in the power system. It has been targeted that by the end of
the 12th Plan the State would have over 17,000 MW of generating capacity. The state has already achieved unique distinction of electrification of 100% revenue villages of the state.