THDC Acquires Forest Clearance for 24-Megawatt Dukhwan Project

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources India (Delhi, India)--After a stalemate of more than two years, state-owned THDC India Limited (Rishikesh, Uttarakhand) has been granted forest clearance from the country's Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) for the construction of the 24-megawatt Dukhwan hydroelectric project in Uttar Pradesh. The project involves the diversion of 39 hectares of forest land.

Due to long delays in the acquisition of the clearance, THDC cancelled the previous tendering process for civil, electro-mechanical (EM) and hydro-mechanical (HM) packages and reissued the pre-qualification bid for the civil package. Bid evaluation is under way. According to THDC sources, prequalification bids, under the retendering, for the EM package is expected to be released by March 2013.

THDC expects to kick-off construction of the project by September 2014. Slated for completion in 2018, the project involves construction of a run-of-river weir, head race and tail race tunnels, surge shafts; pressure shafts, three penstocks, and a powerhouse to install three 8-megawatt (MW) Vertical Francis hydro turbine generator sets.

THDC currently has 15 projects with a total installed capacity of 8,770 MW, which are in various stages of development. Five other hydroelectric projects are under survey and investigation in the Bhagirathi, Alaknanda and Sarda valleys in Uttarakhand, with a total capacity of 742 MW. Further, the company is currently implementing a 1,320-MW, coal-fired thermal power project at Khurja, in the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh.

THDC recently acquired Stage 2 forest clearance for its 444-MW Vishnugad Pipalkoti hydroelectric project, in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. But execution of the project is still held up as the State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) of Uttarakhand has yet to grant clearance. The project involves the diversion of 80.51 hectares of forest land. Notably, India's National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) already has recommended this project to MOEF for the much-needed forest clearance, but the recommendation is subject to the approval of SBWL.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.