NHPC to Commission Chutak Project by August 2011

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--India's government-owned hydropower enterprise NHPC Limited (BSE:533098) (Faridabad, Haryana) has stepped up construction activities at its 132-megawatt (MW) Chutak hydroelectric project in Jammu & Kashmir to bring the first 33 MW of the project online in August 2011.

The first unit of the project was originally scheduled to be commissioned by February 2011, but the project missed the deadline because of disturbances in the valley in 2010, which affected smooth transportation of key machineries and materials for the project. The project has also suffered delays because of heavy flooding that occurred last year in the Kashmir Valley.

According to NHPC sources, the excavation and overt lining for the head race tunnel (HRT) have been completed, while about 90% of concrete work for the powerhouse has been achieved. The first unit is expected to be commissioned in mid-August, while the remaining three units are slated for commissioning at two-month intervals thereafter.

Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BSE:500103) (BHEL) (New Delhi), the contractor for the electro-mechanical package, has begun installing the generators for the first unit of the project and assembling the rotor spider rim is under way for the second unit. Progress on the other units is progressing quickly to meet their respective deadlines.

In the hydro-mechanical segment, NHPC has managed to complete the erection of radial gates at all the bays of its Chutak hydroelectric project. Hindustan Construction Company Limited (BSE:500185) (Mumbai, Maharashtra), the civil contractor hired by NHPC, has also begun erection of the guide track for the surge shaft gates.

The Chutak hydroelectric project is a major hydroelectric project that plans to harness the hydropower potential of the Suru River. The barrage of the project is located near the village of Sarzhe, and the powerhouse is proposed to be on the right bank of the Suru River, near Chutak village.

The project entails the construction of a 47.5-meter-high dam across the Suru River; a 4.77-kilometer head race tunnel (HRT) with an average diameter of 5.9 meters and height of 59 meters; an orifice-type surge shaft; an underground powerhouse with four 11-MW vertical-axis Francis turbines; and a 50-meter tail race tunnel of 5.9 meters diameter.

The project is expected to have annual energy generation of 212.93 kilowatt-hours, assuming 90% performance effieciency. The total estimated cost of the project is $202 million, and an expenditure of $128 million has been incurred through January 2011.

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