Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday dedicated to the nation three hydro-electric projects (HEPs) with a generating capacity of 1,732 MW in Himachal Pradesh. All the three power projects - Koldam HEP (4x200 MW) of NTPC, Parbati HEP Stage-III (4x130 MW) of NHPC and Rampur HEP (6x68.67 MW) of SJVN - are equipped with generating equipment supplied and commissioned by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), state-owned BHEL said in a statement on Tuesday. Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Union Health Minister J P Nadda and Power Minister Piyush Goyal were present on the occasion. BHEL has a vast experience in hydro-electric projects having contracted more than 500 hydro generating sets with a cumulative capacity of more than 29,000 MW of various ratings in India and abroad. BHEL's hydro installations are in operation in India and across the world in Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Malaysia, Nepal, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Rwanda and Vietnam. The company is executing HEPs of around 3,300 MW in the country, which are at various stages of implementation, in addition to major hydropower projects in DR Congo and Bhutan. More of hydroprojects means reduction of greenhouse gas emission, which helps in achieving a low carbon path. The government is contemplating inclusion of large hydro projects in the fold of renewable energy to provide an impetus to these projects.
