SJVN, Arunachal govt ink pact for 5 hydel projects
Shimla, August 30
The SJVN Limited has signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh for executing five run-of-the-river scheme hydro projects of 5,097 MW capacity in the state through a joint venture mode. The projects are 3,097 MW Etalin, 680 MW Attunli, 500 MW Emini, 420 MW Amulin and 400 MW Mihumdon hydroelectric projects.
According to an SJVN spokesperson, of the five projects, Etalin and Attunli HEPs are in the advanced stages of clearance. The construction of these two projects will involve a total investment of around Rs 44,000 crore and would add about 15,787 million units of electricity generation annually.
The SJVN spokesperson said the Centre had approved the proposal of the Ministry of Power for providing Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to state governments of North Eastern Region (NER) towards their equity participation for development of hydroelectric projects in NER through Joint Venture collaboration between state entities and CPSEs.
The scheme would be funded through 10 per cent Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) for the North Eastern Region from the total outlay of the Ministry of Power. The scheme provides for the formation of a joint venture (JV) company for all the projects of a Central PSU with the state government, the spokesperson for SJVN added.
The grant towards the equity portion of the state government of NER would be capped at 24 per cent of the total project equity, subject to a maximum of Rs 750 crore per project. The cap of Rs 750 crore for each project would be revisited, if required, on a case-to-case basis.
According to the spokesperson, with the introduction of the scheme, the participation of the state governments in hydro development will be encouraged and risk and responsibilities will be shared in a more equitable manner.
The issues such as land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement and local law and order issues would be reduced with state governments becoming stakeholders. This would avoid time and cost over-run of the projects.
Bihar minister assures of cooperation to HP firm
The SJVN Director (Finance and Personnel), Akhileshwar Singh, met the Minister of Energy of Bihar, Bijendra Prasad Yadav, and apprised the latter of the progress of the 1320-MW Buxar Thermal Power Project and the 200-MW Bihar Solar Power Project being executed by the SJVN in the state.
The minister assured to extend full cooperation for ensuring timely completion of these projects. The meeting also included deliberations on other significant projects under consideration in the state, including the 1000-MW Durgawati Pumped Storage Project (PSP)and Dagmara Multi-purpose Project with Floating Solar.
The minister expressed confidence in SJVN’s capabilities and experience, saying these projects, once implemented, shall further bolster Bihar’s energy generation capacity and contribute to the nation’s sustainable energy goals.
