Shimla: With hydropower seeming a better option than nuclear power after Japan’s trouble in containing radiation leaks at the earthquake ravaged Fukushima Daiichi plant, India’s top business houses Tata power and Reliance Power announced their entry into Himachal hydroelectric sector.
Of the 17 power projects, for which the Himachal energy department had invited global bidding, Reliance Power winning on 5 projects and Tata-SN Power bagging one medium sized project.
Reliance power secured the 300 MW Purthi, 94 MW Teling and 44 MW Shangling project located in Lahaul-Spiti district, and the 130 MW Sumte Kothang and 104 MW Lara Sumta project in Kinnaur districts.
With the bidding done on the basis of offering the highest free power, besides the Rs 20 Lakh per MW premium and 13 percent free power as Royalty, Reliance Power bids came out winners on these projects with an offer of 21 percent free power, said a government spokesman.
Tata-SN Power, a joint venture foray into hydropower, bagged the 236 MW Dugar project after offering the bid winning 22.35 percent free power for developing the potential generation site.
Others power generation companies, who secured projects by outbidding others included Delhi based Capital Consortium Limited winning the 9 MW Cho Tundah (14 per cent) and the 9 MW Tanger (13.1 per cent), while BMD Private Limited, Rajasthan, bagged 12 MW Dhanchho (23.21 per cent) and 30 MW Malana-III (17.61 per cent).
ABG Shipyard won the bid for two projects, namely 130 MW Rashil (14.1 per cent) and 104 MW Tandi (22.1 per cent).
AMR Mitra Joint Venture, a Hyderabad based company bagged the 81 MW Tinget (21.42 per cent), Bell Spun Energy got the 13 MW Suil (17.05 per cent), Puri Oil Mills, the 7.5 MW Kilhi-Bahl (19 per cent ), Green Infrastructure, the 12 MW Jorbie (15.84 per cent) and BLA Industries won the bid for the 10 MW Nesang (15.84 per cent).
With there being just one bidder for the 60 MW Patam project, the lone bid was withheld.
The terms of offer are above the mandatory 13 per cent free power for the first 12 years of the plant life, 19 per cent for the 12 to 30 years and 31 per cent for the last 30 to 40 years of the plant life. After 40 years the plant site has to be reverted back to the state.
Companies like Larsen and Toubro and GVK Energy that were in the fray did not bag any projects. Moser Baer, which had bagged five projects in an earlier bid, did not participate.
For the 17 projects that have an accumulated generation capacity of 1325.5 MW there were as many as 63 bids.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
