BBMB plans to bring up micro-hydel projects with private investment

As tiff with the Punjab government goes on, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) is planning to outsource micro-hydel projects on its water sources to private players.

However, the AAP leader from Nangal who spearheaded the party’s dharna against BBMB, Sanjeev Gautam, the chairman of Guru Ravi Dass Ayurvedic Medical University, has opposed BBMB’s decision to outsource the project to private players. He said that the Punjab government would oppose outsourcing of the project to private players. These projects require small investment and the government would invest in them, he said.

The sources here told The Tribune that BBMB has planned a micro-hydel project of 1.79 MW on Nangal dam. The BBMB has planned to outsource the project to a private party. The technical bid for the project has already been done now the tenders would be floated for executing the project.

The project has been planned on the two plugged gates of the Nangal dam. As per the project proposal, the micro-hydel project would be brought up by drilling a pen stock inside the plugged gates and harness hydropower from the environment flow of Sutlej being released from Nangal. About 500 cusec water is released from Nangal dam to maintain environment flow of Sutlej river from Nangal dam.

Another 1 MW project has been planned in the section of Bhakra Main Line (BML) canal in a stretch ranging between Ganguwal and Nakkian hydro projects. Under this project four floating hydro-kinetic turbines of 250 KV each would be installed in the said stretch of BML canal to generate 1 MW power. The sources here said that the tenders for the project have been floated and work would be outsourced to a private party.

Besides, the BBMB has also planned to harness solar power by installing solar power projects in its colonies at Nangal, Talwara and Chandigarh. The process for installing 4.7 MW roof mounted solar power project in Nangal and Talwara townships has already started and is expected to be completed by end of June the sources here said.

Besides the organisation plans to harness 16 MW solar power from ground mounted solar projects at vacant places at its projects. The sources here said that project is likely to be outsourced to private parties. These would invest in the project and BBMB would buy back power from private players as per rates fixed after negotiations.

The sources here said that BBMB engineers have also put up proposal for harnessing more power from its projects by installing small hydro projects on the existing dams and canals. The projects which have been conceived by the project engineers are proposed to be outsourced to private players for investment.

However, the current situation in which the Punjab government was demanding reconstitution of BBMB and asserting its role as 60 per cent owner in the organisation may cast shadow over BBMB decision to outsource micro hydel projects to private players.

Punjab