The project includes development of a 65m diversion dam near Helang village in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand to create a small reservoir in the Alaknanda River. A 13.4km headrace tunnel will carry the water to an underground powerhouse near Haat village to generate the power. All the diverted water will then be returned to the river.
The scheme is expected to generate an estimated 1665MkWh of electricity each year to help relieve India’s chronic power shortage. It will represent a valuable addition of peaking power to India’s Northern Grid, which faces severe power shortages at high-consumption times.
“The Government of India is committed to improving the access of its people to power and thereby removing this constraint to human development and economic growth. Hydropower is one of cleanest means of electricity generation and the Vishnugad Pipalkoti Hydro Electric Project is a priority project that will help relieve power shortages in India,” said Mr Venu Rajamony, Joint Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
The project is expected to have negligible impact on the downstream water quality and THDC will ensure that there is a minimum flow of 15.65m3/sec of water in the Alaknanda at all times to sustain the aquatic health of the river. This is equivalent to approximately 45% of the average lean season flow in the Alaknanda and represents one of the highest minimum flow standards maintained by any hydropower project in India.
“The Vishnugad Pipalkoti Hydro Electric Project has benefited from the Ministry of Environment & Forests’ comprehensive study of the cumulative impacts of hydropower development on the Alaknanda basin, and is one of the first hydropower projects in the country to implement a higher, more environmentally sustainable minimum flow regime,” said Roberto Zagha, World Bank Country Director for India. “This is an important illustration of how India is balancing the needs of rapid economic growth with environmental sustainability.”
The Union Ministry of Environment & Forests had, in July 2010, commissioned a comprehensive assessment of the cumulative impacts of hydropower development on the Bhagirathi and Alkananda basins. THDC’s Vishnugad Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project was among the projects scrutinized and was cleared for construction with an enhanced environmental flow requirement.
