Emphasizing the need for early start-up of the 450 MW Shongtong Hydropower Project, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu ordered officials to speed up the construction work and complete it by July 2025.
While chairing a review meeting here, the Chief Minister said that the tender for the project was awarded in 2012, but the construction work had been delayed due to various reasons.
“Delayed projects incur higher costs and losses for the state, therefore the project must be completed within the stipulated time frame,” an official statement quoted the Chief Minister as saying.
He directed the officers of the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (HPPCL) to resolve all bottlenecks causing delays within a week.
The review meeting has been scheduled after three months. He asked HPPCL to increase manpower to complete the remaining construction work.
Sukhu said the completion of the Shongtong Hydropower Project would generate 1,579 million units of electricity annually, providing the state with a total benefit of Rs 1,706 crore, worth Rs 1,300 crore of electricity generated.
Timely commissioning of the project would result in savings of Rs 250 crore as well as providing Rs 156 crore interest available on revenue, the Chief Minister said.
The government is committed to transforming the state into a green energy state by 2025 by utilizing hydroelectric and solar power.
As part of this effort, the state has set a goal of generating 500 MW of solar power by the end of 2024, the Chief Minister added.
–IANOS
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(Only the headline and image in this report may have been modified by Business Standard staff; all other content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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