Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Ltd.(THDC) C.E.O. - R.S.T. Sai Corporate Office- Rishikesh THDC India Limited is a Joint Venture of Govt. of India and Govt. of Uttar Pradesh. The Equity is shared in the ratio of 75:25 between GoI and GoUP for the Power Component. The Company was incorporated in July’ 88 to develop, operate & maintain the 2400 MW Tehri Hydro Power Complex and other hydro projects. The initial mandate of THDCIL was to develop, operate and maintain the 2,400 MW Tehri Hydro Power Complex and other Hydro Projects. At present the company has two power plants in operation namely Tehri Dam (1000 MW) and Koteshwar Dam (400 MW).The corporation has grown into a multi project organization with projects spread over various states as well as the neighboring country, Bhutan The commissioning of the 1,000 MW Tehri Power Station by THDCIL in 200607 was a landmark for the Country’s Power Sector. The Tehri Project is a multipurpose Project providing power benefits to the Northern Region, Irrigation benefits to Uttar Pradesh, and Drinking Water benefits to NCT Delhi and U.P. The Tehri Dam on Bhagirathi River, the main tributary of the Ganges, is one of the world's largest and most controversial hydroelectric projects. It was under construction since 1978, Power production began in August 2003. The Corporation has earned a net profit of Rs 3252.06 million, Rs 4799.51 million and Rs 6004.8 million during the Financial years 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 respectively. The operational unit is located at Tehri under the jurisdiction of Tehri Garhwal District of Uttarakhand which is approximately 83 KMs from Tehri Project. The other project under construction is Vishnugad Pipalkoti HEP (444 MW) on the river Alaknanda. Development of hydro power resources is important for energy security of the country. Considering the fact that hydro power is a renewable source of energy and is environment-friendly compared to coal based thermal power plants, and also the fact that India has huge hydro power potential, policy decisions were taken at national level to develop hydro power to meet the country’s growing energy demand. It takes about 10years for developing a large size hydro project from planning to commission. It is therefore necessary to prepare a long term plan of hydropower development. Structure The dam is a 260.5 metres (855 ft) high rock and earth-fill embankment dam. Its length is 575 metres (1,886 ft), crest width 20 metres (66 ft), and base width 1,128 metres (3,701 ft). The dam creates a reservoir of 4.0 cubic kilometres (3,200,000 acre·ft) with a surface area of 52 square kilometres (20 sq mi). The installed hydro capacity is 1,000 MW along with an additional 1,000 MW of pumped storage hydroelectricity. The lower reservoir for the pumped-storage plant is created by the Koteshwar Dam downstream. Environmental Issues The Tehri Dam has been the object of protests by environmental organizations and local people of the region. In addition to the human rights concerns, the project has spurred concerns about the environmental consequences of locating such a large dam in the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayan foothills. There are further concerns regarding the dam's geological stability. The Tehri dam is located in the Central Himalayan Seismic Gap, a major geologic fault zone. Since 2005, filling of the reservoir has led to the reduced flow of Bhagirathi water from the normal 1,000 cubic feet per second (28 m3/s) to a mere 200 cubic feet per second (5.7 m3/s). This reduction has been central to local protest against the dam, since the Bhagirathi is considered part of the sacred Ganges whose waters are crucial to Hindu beliefs. At some points during the year, the tampering with Bhagirathi waters means this tributary stops flowing. This has created resentment among many Hindus, who claim that the sanctity of the Ganges has been compromised for the generation of electricity. Though the officials say that when the reservoir is filled to its maximum capacity the flow of the river will again become normal. In spite of concerns and protestation, operation of the Tehri Dam continues. Contribution of Tehri Dam to the economy in National and regional (Uttarakhand) level: Tehri Dam has been contributing in its own way, towards the growth of the economy in National and Regional (Uttarakhand) Level. One percent increase in production of electricity in the nation contributes to 1% increase in GDP. The electricity produced by Tehri HPP & Koteshwar HEP is provided to nine beneficiaries of Northern Region viz. Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh and Rajasthan. THDCIL is earning profit since first year of commercial operation of Tehri HPP i.e. 2006-07. A part of the profits earned by THDCIL is paid back as dividend to shareholders– Govt of India and Govt of UP. 12% of Power generated from Tehri HPP (1000 MW) and Koteshwar HEP (400 MW) is provided Free of cost to the Home State of Uttarakhand. Tehri Project also play an important role for the development of surrounding areas & in improving the quality of life by providing employment opportunities and additional source of revenue in the form of fishing, tourism, water sports etc for which GoUK is taking initiatives. Steps by THDC for public: The Hydro Projects are generally located in the remote areas, therefore to execute these projects THDC needs to acquire land for the same which in turn may relocate the inhabitants of that locality or affect their livelihood. In those instances, THDC took measures or resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) of project-affected persons (PAPs) with the intention that the PAPs will improve or at least regain their previous standard of living. The specific objectives are to: Identify the PAPs by the type of loss and extent of damage. Categorize entitled persons according to the eligibility criteria of the R&R policy of THDC. Work out entitlements for each entitled person based on the criteria laid down in the R&R policy of the project. Ensure that all entitled persons are aware of their entitlements under the policy and participate actively in the project. Identify the preferences of the PAPs for their relocation. Develop institutional support for implementation of the R&R process. Evolve a suitable mechanism for monitoring and evaluation of the R&R process and indicate the parameters for monitoring. Phase the implementation of the RAP so that it is coordinated with the phasing of construction activities to make the acquired land available when needed. The main reasons for delay in implementation of Tehri HPP are: • THDC took over the project from Irrigation Department in 1989. Before that project was languishing due to shortage of funds in Irrigation Department apart from other reasons. • Opposition of Project by local people and Dharna by Sh. Sundar Lal Bahuguna on various occasions after THDC took over and decided to start main works of project like Dam, Spillway, Power House etc. • Govt. ban on shifting of population of old Tehri Town till decision on Rehabilitation in May’1996. • Review of technical aspects and other information relating to safety of Tehri Dam in June’1996. • Delay in Rehabilitation and Resettlement. • Formation of New State (Uttarakhand). • Review of Environmental and Rehabilitation aspects of Tehri Dam by Prof. Hanumantha Rao Committee during 1996-97. • Review of seismic safety of Tehri Dam by the Committee headed by Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi constituted in April’2001 in light of: -Bhuj Earthquake. -Impact of Tehri Dam on self purification quality of Gangajal etc. • Geological Surprises faced in zone of water intake. • Delay in achieving required MDDL due to stay by Hon’ble High Court in Aug’05 on PIL against closure of T2 Tunnel. Future aspects: The World Bank today signed a US$ 648 million loan agreement with THDC India Ltd (THDC) to build the Vishnugad Pipalkoti Hydro Electric Project on the Alaknanda River in Uttarakhand, which is expected to generate an estimated 1,665 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year to help relieve India’s chronic power shortage. Minimal Impacts: Villages located high above the waterline; river not used for irrigation or for drinking water. No house or field lost to submergence. One-fifth of the 141.5 hectares needed acquired from local villagers; rest is government or forest land. Impacts on forests, wildlife, or aquatic biodiversity manageable. References: http://thdc.gov.in/ http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2011/08/10 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehri_Dam