Geological Challenges Hinder SJVNL's Rampur Project

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Poor geological conditions in the Himalayan region are the biggest obstacle in the implementation of state-run Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited's (SJVNL) (Shimla, Himachal Pradesh) Rampur hydroelectric project, as the rocky terrain continues to challenge the construction of tunnels. Consequently, all major excavation activities for the project are running far behind their original schedules, thus affecting the commissioning deadline for the 412 megawatt (MW) hydel project.

The civil contractors for the project, Patel Engineering Limited (BSE:531120) (Mumbai, Maharashtra) and Gammon India Limited (BSE:509550) (Mumbai), could only manage to excavate up to 13 kilometers of the 15.18-kilometer head-race tunnel (HRT), even four years after bagging the contract.

According to SJVNL sources, to beat the impediments posed by nature, the civil contractors have opted for the state-of-the-art concurrent benching technique, which involves simultaneous drilling and blasting to cut through the stony terrain and excavate the lower half of the HRT. The contractor also has started concreting the HRT.

The Rampur hydroelectric project, which is to be developed on the Satluj River in the Kullu and Shimla districts of Himachal Pradesh, involves the diversion of water from the out-fall arrangement of SJVNL's existing Nathpa Jhakri project through a 15.18-kilometer HRT, which has a diameter of 10.5 meters.

The project further involves construction of a restricted orifice-type surge shaft, with a diameter of 38 meters; three pressure shafts; penstocks of 5.4-meter diameter each; and a surface powerhouse of internal dimensions of 158 meters by 34.5 meters by 48 meters. These will be used to install six vertical-axis Francis turbines, each of 68.67-MW capacity, to utilize the discharge of 383.88 cubic meters per second of water from the Nathpa Jhakri project. The Rampur project is expected to afford an energy generation of 1,770 gigawatt-hours (GWh) per year, assuming a 95% machine availability.

In October 2004, SJVNL entered into a memorandum of understanding with the government of Himachal Pradesh for the execution of the project. On January 25, 2007, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in India accorded investment approval for the $500 million project.

SJVNL is a joint venture enterprise between the government of India and the state government of Himachal Pradesh. The company presently has an installed generation capacity of 1,500 MW, while projects worth more than 4,800 MW are under survey and investigation. The SJVNL has proposed to enhance its generation capacity by another 5,000 MW by the end of the financial year 2014-15.

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