NTPC inks MoU for ₹5,300-cr two hydro plants in HP

NTPC has signed a MoU with the HP government to set up two hydro-power projects with a cumulative capacity of 520 mw, entailing an estimated investment of ₹5,300 crore. The move will help the thermal power behemoth reach its goal of achieving 32 GW of renewable energy capacity —25% of its installed base — by 2032. The Seli (400 mw) and Miyar (120 mw) projects would be set up at the Chenab basin in the Lahaul and Spiti district and both these plants would be run-of-the-river projects, which means that no large reservoirs would be built in these rivers and large tracts of land will not be submerged as the power plants are ecologically sustainable. NTPC already owns the 800-MW Koldam hydro-power project in Himachal Pradesh. Of its standalone power generation capacity of 47,325 mw, more than 1,700 mw (including hydro-power) are comprised of renewable energy and about 750 mw of solar projects are expected to be commissioned in FY20 by NTPC under developer mode.