NHPC to Commission Uri-II Project in March 2013

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources India (Delhi, India)--State-owned NHPC Limited (BSE:533098) (Faridabad, Haryana) and Hindustan Construction Company Limited (HCC) (BSE:500185) (Mumbai, India) are now set to commission the first 60-megawatt (MW) unit at the Uri II hydropower station by March this year. As per the original schedule, the project was expected to commence generation by February 2011.

Heavy rainfall and a flash flood in the project area in May 2010 caused a severe breach in the upstream and downstream coffer dams, pushing back the completion of the project. Excessive rain during the subsequent monsoon hampered the restoration of the dam, disrupting the execution of hydro-mechanical work. Further, civil disturbances, which led to the imposition of a curfew in Jammu and Kashmir, affected supplies of construction material to the project, causing major delays in execution.

HCC is the civil contractor for the project, while Alstom India Limited (BSE:532309) (Noida, Uttar Pradesh) is executing the electromechanical system. The power station will have four vertical Francis hydro turbines units. The construction for the units began in March 2006.

The 240-megawatt (MW) project involves the construction of a 52-meter-high, concrete gravity dam with four spillways that are 4 meters each; a 4.23-kilometer-long, 8.4-meter-diameter head-race tunnel; a 25-meter-diameter, restricted orifice-type surge shaft; a 3.61-meter tail race tunnel; and an underground powerhouse that will accommodate four generator units of 60 MW each. The project is likely to afford an annual energy generation of 1.12 billion units, assuming a 90% performance by the plant.

With an installed generation capacity of 5,526 MW, NHPC is India's largest hydropower utility. The company is currently pursuing clearances from the government of India for several hydropower projects with an aggregate capacity of 9,651 MW. Of these, seven projects (with an aggregate capacity of 5,965 MW) are planned to be implemented by NHPC on its own, while other projects are planned for execution through joint ventures.

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