Prime Minister Modi inaugurates NHPC’s Uri-II hydroelectric project

 PM Modi dedicating the 240 MW Uri-II hydropower project to the nation by unveiling the plaque, at Uri Baramulla, in Jammu and Kashmir on July 4. 

IN YET another milestone for PSU power giant National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 4 dedicated to the nation the 240 MW Uri-II hydropower project built by NHPC at a cost of Rs. 2290 crore at Uri near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.  The Governor of Jammu and Kashmir N.N. Vohra, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah, and MoS (I/C) Power Piyush Goel...
and top officials of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) were present on the occasion. This is the second power project on the Jhelum river in Uri area and is located downstream of 480-MW Uri-I HEP, which is already operational. The Uri-II HEP has a concrete gravity dam which is 52-metre high and 157-metre long with four spillways of nine metres each. The 4.23 km head race tunnel carries water from the dam to the powerhouse, which has four units of 60 MW each designed to generate 1,124 million units of electricity in a year. The work on the power project was completed in time despite a massive earthquake striking the area on October 8, 2005 — two weeks after Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) started work on it. Addressing people at the project site, Modi said his Government is committed to dispel darkness from the country. He said this project was conceived during the Government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and we have fulfilled that vision. He said the country has hydropower potential of 1.5 lakh MW, but we have not been able to harness much of it so far. Today, when global warming is an issue that affects all mankind, we will place maximum emphasis on renewable energy sources. Our objective is to tap maximum hydropower potential, the Prime Minister added. He said power is an essential requirement for development and economic growth. The entire economy of Jammu and Kashmir will gain momentum from hydropower projects, he said. Giving the example of Bhutan, he said the economy of that country was now being built around hydropower. The Prime Minister said sufficient emphasis had not been given to power transmission lines network, and his Government will take this task forward through the PPP model.
NHPC has been engaged in a number of projects in the state. With an installed capacity of 2009 MW, NHPC has already commissioned seven projects in Jammu and Kashmir. One project is under construction with a capacity of 330 MW. NHPC has also initiated joint ventures (JV) with JKSPDC and PTC for the development of three projects with a combined capacity of 2120MW.