The central-sector utility company, National Hydro Power Corp (NHPC), and the Orissa government have finalised a deal for setting up three hydro- power projects at Sindol on river Mahanadi downstream Hirakud dam. The NHPC and the state government-owned Orissa Hydro Power Corp (OHPC) will be signing an MoU for the purpose next week.
The draft MoU has been sent for the vetting of the state law department,? energy minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak told FE. He said once the formalities are over, the MoU will be signed between the two parties.The NHPC board of directors, which is meeting on March 10, is expected to give its approval for the investments in the project.
State energy secretary Pradip Kumar Jena said the projects will be developed with NHPC having the controlling stake of 51% while the state-owned OHPC will have 49%. The management will be with NHPC, he added. The state has identified 3 sites between Chiplima and Boudh as Sindol I (Deogaon), II (Kapasira) and III (Godhaneswar) for the hydel units with a total capacity of 320mw. The investments in the projects has been estimated at Rs 3000 crore. The state-owned Orissa Hydro Power Corp (OHPC) has already prepared a feasibility report.