Hydropower Projects in Madhya Pradesh :

Hydropower Projects in Madhya Pradesh are considered as significant energy resources. There are several prestigious Hydropower Projects in Madhya Pradesh such as Chambal Valley Project, Gandhi Sagar Project, Tawa Project, Warna Project, Mahi Project and Sindh Valley Project

Hydropower projects in Madhya Pradesh are one of the main energy resources of the state. Madhya Pradesh has several perennial rivers, which are major source for generating hydroelectricity. In this state, there are many river valleys projects. In terms of electricity generation, this state is not self-sufficient and even pay for electricity from its neighbouring states. The state has many ideal locations for installation of hydropower projects. The details of the major hydropower projects of Madhya Pradesh are given below -

Chambal Valley Project :

Chambal Valley Project has been constructed on Chambal River, which is one of the major tributaries of Yamuna River. Chambal River has a big division comprising east Rajasthan and west Madhya Pradesh. The average rainfall ranges between 60 cm to 80 cm in this watershed. This river valley project was prepared for development of agricultural activities, irrigation facilities and overall development of the region. The government of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan has jointly started a scheme in 1953 - 1954 and it had three major phases - Gandhi Sagar Project, Rana Pratap and Jawahar Sagar Project and Kota Dam Project.

Gandhi Sagar Project :

Gandhi Sagar Project was constructed in the first phase of Chambal Valley Project, which included Gandhi Sagar Project and the canals. It is around 514 metres long and 64 metres high. It has huge irrigation capacity. 

Gandhi Sagar Dam is a masonry gravity dam with a height of 62.17 metres (204.0 ft) and a length of 514 metres (1,686 ft). The reservoir has a gross storage capacity of 7.32 billion cubic metres, with a live storage of 6.79 billion cubic metres corresponding to Full Reservoir Level (FRL) at 400 metres (1,300 ft). The spillway of the dam is designed for a discharge of 21,238 cubic metres per second. There are 10 gated spillway spans to pass the designed flood discharge. In addition, 9 river sluices have also been provided, but these have not been functional. The hydroelectric power station is located at the toe of the dam on the right bank. The total flow through the five turbines is 311.15 m3/s. The power station has an installation of 142 MW with five turbines of 23 MW and one unit of 27 MW capacity. 

Rana Pratap Sagar Dam :

Rana Pratap Sagar Dam was constructed below 56 km downstream from Gandhi Sagar Dam. It has about 1340 sq km watershed area. The dam is 54 metres high and 1143 metres long. The capacity of reservoir is 1567 million cubic metres.

Jawahar Sagar Dam :

Jawahar Sagar Dam was constructed 23 km downstream from Rana Pratap Sagar Dam. It has 1994 sq km watershed area. Under this project, the right bank canals irrigate the agricultural land of Madhya Pradesh, while the left bank canals irrigate the agricultural land of Rajasthan. In Madhya Pradesh, about 325 km long canals are drawn from this project. This project helped in the development of the region, particularly in the field of agriculture.

Tawa River Project :

It is constructed on Tawa River in Hoshangabad district. The dam is around 57.91 metres high and will irrigate about 3.33 lakh hectares land.

Kolar Project :

It is constructed on the Kolar River, which is a tributary of Narmada River, in Sehore district. Warna Project, Mahi Project and Sindh Valley Project are other prestigious projects. Besides these major river valley projects, some other projects are also going to be constructed and some of them are under construction. Among them Rajghat Dam Project, Rangawan Canal Project and Sukta projects are prestigious.

There are around 24 small and big river valleys projects in Madhya Pradesh some are completed and some have to be completed. Bawankadi Project is a joint venture of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The dam is 31 metres high and 148 metres long. Its left side canal irrigates the agricultural land of Madhya Pradesh while the right side irrigates the agricultural land of Maharashtra. Thawer Project is located in Jhulpur village of Mandla District in the Thawari River. Pench Project is located in Chhindwara district in Pench River. Ban Sagar Project has been constructed jointly by Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar government. It is constructed at around 50 km away from Rewa in Rewa-Shahdol roadways. Urmil Project is constructed on the Urmil River at around 40 km away from Chhatarpur District. This project is a joint venture of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.