The Centre is attempting to run the hydropower plants based in Jammu and Kashmir at full capacity for the first time. This move could increase power generation from the Union Territory by up to 30%, according to Moneycontrol.
India has six operational hydropower plants in Jammu and Kashmir with a combined capacity of 3,030 megawatts (MW). However, the actual generation from these plants has always remained fairly low, ranging between 1,500-2,000 MW, primary due to the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which limited India’s ability to fill reservoirs to their designed capacities.
Lower reservoir storage directly impacts hydropower generation by reducing the availability of water for turbines, which leads to decreased electricity production.
Boosting Hydropower Generation Capacity
Lower reservoir storage directly impacts hydropower generation by reducing the availability of water for turbines, which leads to decreased electricity production.
“We are looking at increasing electricity generation from the operational hydropower plants in J&K by 20-50%. But, since hydro is also contingent to weather factors, we would state a conservative number of 30%,” a senior government official told Moneycontrol.
To further accelerate this push, the government is also considering incentives and certain concessions for hydroelectric power projects in Jammu and Kashmir that are currently at the exploratory stage, senior government officials told ET.
A Science Direct study estimates that the Indus basin has a hydropower potential of 26 GW, with energy storage costs ranging from 12 to 50 USD/MWh. This presents a significant and cost-effective energy storage potential due to its favourable topography for constructing storage reservoirs.
These initiatives aim to make these projects economically viable and competitively priced, aligning with the Modi government’s vision of fast-tracking hydropower capacity in the region.
The deliberations, though at a nascent stage, have gathered pace since these projects are expected to play a crucial role in speeding up hydropower capacity in the region, especially amid India’s decision to keep the IWT with Pakistan in ‘abeyance’.
“Until now, all hydropower plants on the Indus River system, including the eastern ones, were compelled to run much below capacity due to objections from Pakistan. This summer would be the first time when the government will attempt to run all of them in full capacity,” the official told Moneycontrol.
Another official told Moneycontrol that suspending the IWT would not only allow India to better manage its reservoirs but also facilitate important flushing exercises during the monsoon season, which help clear sedimentation. This policy shift provides India with the liberty to use the rivers according to its needs.
The move, to suspend IWT, came following the killing of 26 people by terrorists in Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22.
