Extreme Cold Weather Defers Completion of NHPC's Nimoo Bazgo Project

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources India (Delhi, India)--The completion of NHPC Limited's (BSE:533098) (Faridabad, Haryana) 45-megawatt (MW) Nimoo Bazgo hydroelectric project in Jammu and Kashmir is facing a major setback as extreme cold weather in the Ladakh region continues to delay the commissioning of the first 15-MW unit.

NHPC already had achieved synchronization of the third unit of the project in October last year, while the second unit was synchronized with the grid on January 20, 2013. According to NHPC sources, the erection of an electro-mechanical component for the first unit, which was already running behind schedule, came to a total halt last week as the temperature dipped below the freezing point. On January 23, 2013, Ladakh region recorded the season's lowest temperature at -22.2 degrees Celcius.

The erection work is thus unlikely to resume for the next two months as cold waves continue to hit the Kashmir valley. NHPC is, however, optimistic of resuming the work by mid-March.

Being developed on the Indus River at the village of Alchi, near the Indo-Pakistani border, the execution of the project has been primarily mired by a drawn-out water-sharing dispute between the two countries. Pakistan has been opposing construction of the project, claiming that it would reduce the flow of water into the Indus River in Pakistan. According to Pakistan, this would be a sheer violation of the Indus Water Treaty, which was signed between India and Pakistan in 1960.

Apart from political resistance, the project has been affected by a host of other geological surprises, such as landslides, flash floods, and extreme climatic conditions in the valley.

The Nimoo Bazgo hydroelectric project is a run-of-river scheme, planned to harness the hydropower potential of the Indus River. The project envisages construction of a 57-meter-high concrete gravity dam; three 6.3-meter long penstocks, each with a diameter of 3.3 meters; and a surface powerhouse to install four Vertical Axis Francis Turbine Units of 15 MW capacity each. The project is expected to afford an annual energy generation of 239 million units, assuming a 90% performance.

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