Sikkim plans to tap hydro power potential

Immense potential of hydro-power generation in the Himalayan state, with an abundance of snow and monsoon fed rivers, including the great eastern Himalayan drainers the turbulent Teesta and the Rangeet, will now be fully exploited, he said.

Kharel said the scheduled commissioning of the first stage of the multi-crore 60 MW Rangeet hydel project in June this year will make Sikkim a fully power sufficient state. The total power requirement of the Himalayan state is around 29 MW per day. The project, undertaken by the National Hydro Power Corporation, will be commissioned in three stages of 20 MW units each.

Sikkim8217;s share of 12 per cent power generation will be utilised locally and the rest exported by NHPC through the national power grid to the power-starved eastern and North-Eastern part of the country.

Admitting that the state is facing a severe power shortage at present, he attributed the same to the abnormally8217; low discharge in the rivers during the winter months which, he said, was due to the five months8217; drought the state was facing now.

For example, the state8217;s major hydro power project, the 12 MW Lower Lagyap hydro power station in east Sikkim, which usually generates 5.5 MW of power during the lean8217; period in the winter months is at present only being able to generate 4 MW due to the abnormally low discharge in the rivers.

The situation was further compounded by the snapping8217; of the grid transmission from Chukha and Jaldhaka hydel projects from Bhutan and West Bengal respectively which provide 15 MW of power to the state.

Kharel said the weak transmission grid from Chukha via Chalsa in neighbouring West Bengal causes substantial loss of power. Out the 15 MW power we are supposed to get via this grid the optimum that we get is around 11 to 12 MW of power per day.

This apart the unprecedented downpour during June last year had caused extensive damage to all six major hydro power projects in the east and north districts besides uprooting of several km of transmission lines in the state. The damage was pegged at around Rs 5.7 crore. Restoration was yet to be complete due to lack of relief funds, Kharel said.

He said the Centre had reportedly allotted Rs 13 crore for the landslide-ravaged state out of which the power department was likely to get Rs 2.5 crore for restoration and repair of the power infrastructure.

The power secretary expressed the hope that with the recommissioning of the 8 MW Rongli-Chu hydel station, extensively damaged by landslides last year, the power situation would be stabilised by the first week of April.

Describing the present situation as a passing phase, Kharel said, 8220;we are almost self-sufficient during the monsoon season when we have full discharge from the rivers. We do have an annual shortfall during the lean season from November to March. But now that the national grid connectivity has been energised only last month we are hopeful of overcoming this shortfall in future8221;.

The national grid connectivity was provided with the commissioning of the 20 MW first stage of the 60 MW Rangeet hydel project by the NHPC in July. This Himalayan state will now have a total of 60 MW of power generation during the peak season and 40 MW during the lean winter season.