HP to ensure in equity participation in hydel projects

Shimla, Apr 5: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today said his government will ensure maximum equity participation in hydel projects and generate additional financial resources for the state.

The state will negotiate with power project executors to ensure maximum equity participation besides getting free power and other benefits as per its Power Policy, he told a high level delegation of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) led by its Chairman-cum-Managing Director T Sankaralingam late last evening.

Mr Dhumal said Himcahal had an identified hydel potential of 21,000 MW of which only one fourth had been exploited, while works were in progress to generate another 5,000 MW.

The state government has advertised a number of projects for execution under joint venture or private sector, he said and added that it would be generating about 12,000 MW of power in coming five years.

He said a number of hydel projects had already agreed to provide the state 30 to 49 per cent equity participation and added that efforts would be made to get similar equity participation in the new projects to be allotted for execution in the near future.

UNI