Snag delays SJVN Rampur project inauguration ;Kuldeep Chauhan Tribune News Service The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Himachal Pradesh20 November 2014 Shimla, November 19 The recent conking off the newly installed Rs 5 crore transformer-generator of the sixth unit of the 412 mw Rampur Hydropower Project has not only raised a question mark the way “quality control” is being maintained at Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVNL), but has further delayed the inauguration of the project already running three years behind schedule. It is already plagued by cost overruns and the project cost has shot up from Rs 2,047 crore in 2006 to Rs 3,315 crore despite the fact that “Rampur project does not involve the construction of diversion dam as it is utilising the waters of the outlet of the 1,500 mw Nathapa Jhakhari project”. As a result both state government, which would get 30 per cent as equity share and 12 per cent free power and the SJVNL, which is executing the project on the Satluj river in the district, are losing revenue worth crores of rupees everyday. The Ministry of Power, which controls the SJVNL, is planning to rope in Prime Minister Narendra Modi for its inauguration next month to make it a big show, considering that the 1,500 mw Nathapa Jhakhari power project, which was dedicated to the nation by the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in 2005, revealed insiders. The SJVNL has fixed its commissioning this month earlier, they said. The malfunctioning of the Rs 5 crore transformer procured from the Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd (BHEL), a government of India undertaking, has raised questions about the quality control at the SJVNL. This transformer was installed in the 68.66 mw sixth unit of the 412 mw Rampur project, which is running more than three years behind schedule as the project was slated to be commissioned in March 2012. The SJVNL, however, has ruled out any malfunctioning of other transformers installed at other five units. “All other five units are running their commercial generation smoothly ever since these were commissioned in 2013 and 2014,” claimed general manager, Rampur hydropower project, Kranti K Gupta. “We have replaced the sixth transformer as it was within warranty period from BHEL and hope to start the trial run soon,” he said. The work on the project began in February 2007. But the SJVNL blamed “unexplained geological surprises”, including the diversion of the river for construction of the 15.19 km head race tunnel as major ruses” for delay as the corporation missed the March 2012 deadline for its commissioning Inserted from
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 01:10:46 +0000
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