A memorandum of understanding has been signed for the construction of the 300-MW Lakhwar Multi-Purpose project in the Upper Yamuna Basin of India.
According to a release from the Press Information Bureau of the Government of India, the MOU was signed by Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shipping and Road Transport & Highways; and the chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh.
Construction is expected to cost INR3966.51 crore (US$56 million). The power component is expected to cost INR1388.28 crore (US$19.6 million) and this cost will be borne totally by the Uttarakhand government, which will also get the total power generation benefit once the project is complete.
Lakhwar will consist of a 204-m-high concrete dam near Lohari village in Dehadrun district of Uttarakhand. It will provide a live storage capacity of 330.66 million cubic meters. This will provide irrigation for 33,780 hectares of land and provide 78.83 million cubic meters of water for domestic, drinking and industrial use.
“The problem of water shortage in all six states will be resolved once the project is complete as water flow in River Yamuna will improve in dry season from December to May/June every year,” Shri Gadkari said.
The project is to be built by M/s Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVL).
The Lakhwar project was initially approved in 1976 but work was suspended in 1992. Under the new agreement, the project may be commissioned by the end of 2022.
Additional major projects being envisioned in the Upper Yamuna reaches are 660-MW Kishau and 40-MW Renukaji. The run-of-river Vyasi project is being built near Vyasi village in Dehradun district and is scheduled to be commissioned by December 2018.
In other recent news in India, earlier this month high silt content in the Satluj River forced authorities to temporarily shut down several hydropower plants.
