India Gives Nod to Pre-Construction of Teling Hydroelectric Project

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources India (Delhi, India)--The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of India's Ministry of Environment & Forests has granted environmental clearance to Reliance Power Limited (BSE:532939) (Mumbai, India) to undertake preconstruction activities at its 94-megawatt (MW) Teiling hydroelectric project in the Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh.

The project envisages construction of a 22-meter-high barrage across the Chandra River near Gramphu village, and an underground power house near Teling village, with two units of 47 MW each. The plant would utilize a design discharge of 107 cubic meters per second (cumecs) for generation of 363.22 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually.

Due to be developed at an estimated cost of $184 million, the project would be executed by Teiling Hydro Power Private Limited, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) promoted by Reliance Power. The total land requirement for the project has been pegged at 83 hectares, which includes a submergence area of 20 hectares.

The project proponent recently made a presentation before the committee. As the project area lies in an active seismic region, Zone IV of the Seismic Zoning Map of India, the committee has suggested that detailed subsurface investigations, seismic investigations, and in-situ permeability tests of the media should be carried out to assess seismic hazards in the area, while undertaking survey and investigations for the preparation of a detailed project report.

The EAC has opined that the impacts of sediments flow pattern in the reach between diversion structure and the tail-race tunnel outfall should be examined in a study, as a post-project monitoring activity.

The committee suggested that the minimum environmental flow release should be fixed at 20% of the average flow during lean periods and 30% during peak-flow rain seasons. The committee also suggested conducting a site-specific study on environmental flow release by an independent agency.

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