India will get 240 MW more power from Feb 2011

Come February 2011, the country will get an additional 240 MW power when the Uri-II hydro-electric project becomes operational and are linked with the national grid.

The project on the river Jhelum located near Salamabad village in Uri is being constructed by the National Hydro-electric Power Corporation Ltd and 80 per cent of its work has been completed.

"We are working 24x7. So far, the project is going as per schedule. We hope to complete it by February next year," NHPC General Manager (URI-II) project P C Gautam told PTI.

Jhelum originates from a spring at Verinag situated at the foot of Pir Panjal in the south-eastern part of Kashmir valley. It flows through Srinagar and the Wullar lake before entering Pakistan through a deep narrow gorge. The catchment area of Jhelum upto the dam site is 13,400 sq km.

"The dam is being constructed strictly following the clauses of Indus Water Treaty. Hence, unlike any other hydro-electric project in the country, this project has no water reservoir," Gautam said.

The treaty is a water-sharing agreement between India and Pakistan brokered by the World Bank (then the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) and was signed in 1960.

The power generated from the project would be evacuated through high voltage transmission lines being constructed by Power Grid Corporation, which will be connected to be Wagoora sub-station and also to the existing transmission lines via Uri power station.

The project is a run-off-the-river scheme with only 75 hectares land under submergence. Total land required for the project including submergence is about 206 hectares with no forest land being involved.

Around 400 families in nine villages are being affected by the project due to acquisition of land. Out of these, 79 families are fully affected and 321 families are partially affected, NHPC chief engineer S K Singh said.

"Project affected families are being compensated as per the approved relief and rehabilitation plan," he said.