Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday dedicated to the nation the 240 MW URI-II power station of NHPC located in Baramulla district of Jammu & Kashmir. On this occasion Governor of Jammu & Kashmir NN Vohra, the State’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal, and other senior officials of the Ministry of Power and NHPC were present.
The URI-II power station is a 240 MW run-of-the-river scheme on River Jhelum, located near the Salamabad village of Uri tehsil in the Baramulla district of Jammu & Kashmir, built at a cost of around Rs 2,300 crore. The salient features of the project include a concrete gravity dam of 43.7 m height and 157 m length with head regulator, around 9 km long water conductor system comprising an open channel, head race tunnel, tail race tunnel and an underground power house. A net head of 118 m is being utilised with an installed capacity of 240 MW comprising 4 units of 60 MW each, which would generate 1,123 MU of electricity annually.
During the construction of this project, considerable infrastructure development has taken place in the area. Local people have been employed with the NHPC and with other companies associated with the work of the project. Various area development activities under relief and rehabilitation work and corporate social responsibility have been taken up by the NHPC. A 20-bedded project hospital with modern facilities at the project site will soon be available to the local people. Some important initiatives include approval for construction of a sports stadium at Chehla near Boniyar at a cost of Rs 300 lakh and sanction of Rs 50 lakh for construction of a bus stand at Uri.
As part of its commitment for the overall development of Jammu & Kashmir, the NHPC has adopted 7 ITIs for upgrade in the State at Reasi, Ramban, Kargil, Leh, Kishtwar, Bandipora and Uri. In addition, the public sector unit will set up a hydro training institute at Kangan near Ganderbal, for which an MOU has been signed between the NHPC and Jammu & Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC). Under its CSR initiatives, the NHPC has already spent Rs 984 lakh in the State till March 2014 and a further amount of Rs 1,268 Lakh is proposed to be spent during the current financial year.
The NHPC is today a premier organisation in the country in the field of development of hydroelectric projects. A total installed capacity of 6,507 MW is under operation, which includes 2 projects with a total installed capacity of 1,520 MW in Joint Venture. There are 4 projects (3,290 MW) under construction. The technical capabilities of NHPC in executing hydroelectric projects are unmatched in the country.
The prime minister, while dedicating the power station to the nation, said the project was one step closer to fulfilling the commitment by the government to illuminate the nation. He said power generation was vital for the economic development of society. Speaking on the occasion, he stressed environment friendly development in the era of global warming. He also said that Jammu & Kashmir was blessed with hydro power potential of about 14,000 MW, which needed to be harnessed. The prime minister thanked all concerned for their support in completion of the Uri-II power station.
Goyal thanked the prime minister for dedicating the power station to the nation. He congratulated the NHPC for successful completion of the project and also appreciated the initiatives undertaken by the public sector organisation for development of hydro power.
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