Himachal cancels 172 hydro projects where construction is stalled
“It has been decided to apply a uniform free power royalty of 12% along with an additional 1% for the Local Area Development Fund for all hydro projects up to 5 MW that will be allotted in the future,” an official said.
The decisions were taken in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. The Cabinet also gave its approval to cancel 22 hydroelectric projects above 5 MW, previously allotted by the Directorate of Energy, where implementation agreements have not been signed.
The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet Wednesday approved a proposal to cancel 172 small hydro projects of below 5 MW capacity where construction work has been stalled for an extended period. The state will re-advertise these projects that are under Himachal Pradesh Energy Development Agency, a senior official said.
“It has been decided to apply a uniform free power royalty of 12% along with an additional 1% for the Local Area Development Fund for all hydro projects up to 5 MW that will be allotted in the future,” an official said.
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The decisions were taken in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. The Cabinet also gave its approval to cancel 22 hydroelectric projects above 5 MW, previously allotted by the Directorate of Energy, where implementation agreements have not been signed.
A Department of Energy official told The Indian Express, “We had issued show cause notices to the firms, which were given the contact to establish 22 hydroelectric projects above 5 MW. Some of them had submitted their reply. As per our initial assessment, some of the firms failed to obtain permissions and NOCs from various departments. Moreover, the firms are yet to enter into Instrument of Agreeement with the state government”.
Saurabh Parashar is a journalist with The Indian Express, where he primarily covers developments in Himachal Pradesh. He has been associated with The Indian Express since 2017 and has earlier worked with The Times of India. He has 17 year + experience in the field of print journalism. An alumnus of Government College for Men, Sector 11, (Panjab University), Chandigarh, Saurabh holds a Diploma in Journalism from Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Chandigarh. He pursued his Master’s in Mass Communication from Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar. In addition, he completed his law degree from Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla. ... Read More
