Policy for revival on the cards

As many as 16 hydro power projects of 5,950 MW capacity are stalled due to financial constraints and other reasons, which may prompt the government to bring in a hydro policy at the earliest.

“A total of 37 hydro power projects of 12GW generation capacities are under construction in the country. Out of these, 16 projects with a total generation capacity of 5,950 MW are either stalled or held up due to financial constraints and other reasons,” a senior official said.

The official said out of the 16 projects, 10 are stalled due to financial stress.

According to the Central Electricity Authority estimates, the annual loss of energy generation from these stalled hydro projects is about 18,761 million units.

The official said the government is working on a hydro policy that would provide for longer loan repayment period, lower interest rate and other incentives which would help bring down the tariff of these projects.

The Power Ministry has informed about formulating a hydro policy to Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy. The policy will also shore up the hydro power sector, which is facing stiff competition from other clean sources and also from thermal power.