Uttarakhand News: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in New Delhi and discussed various issues including energy needs of Uttarakhand, hydro power projects, pumped storage projects, Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and ADB assisted transmission project of Pitkul.
The Chief Minister expressed his gratitude to the Union Power Minister for the cooperation given by the Government of India in providing additional power from the central pool from time to time to meet the power requirements of the state. He said that according to the forecasts of the Meteorological Department, hydropower production may be affected in the coming months due to possible conditions of El Nino, reduction in rainfall and less water in the reservoirs. There is a possibility of further increase in electricity demand during Chardham Yatra and upcoming Kanwar Yatra. In view of this, the Chief Minister requested to provide 150 MW additional power from the central pool for the remaining period of July 2026 and 200 MW for August 2026.
The Chief Minister also requested to provide special financial assistance to Uttarakhand for hydro power projects on the lines of North-Eastern states. The Chief Minister urged for providing central financial assistance or Viability Gap Funding (VGF) of Rs 7,800 crore in the next five years for the development of about 10 GW of pumped storage capacity in the state. He also requested to increase the approved capacity of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) from 500 MWh to 665 MWh in view of the energy needs and grid stability of the state and to provide feasibility gap funding accordingly.
The Chief Minister also discussed the Rs 3,638.26 crore (US$425.78 million) ADB-assisted transmission project of Pitkul in the meeting. He requested that the original 80:20 ADB Loan: Counterpart Funding financing arrangement for this project be kept intact. He said that an ADB loan of Rs 2,910.61 crore (US $340.62 million) is proposed under the project, which needs to be approved as per the financial arrangements prescribed for a special category Himalayan state like Uttarakhand.
The Chief Minister said that the project has been considered technically suitable by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and the Power Ministry has also not expressed any objection to the ADB assistance. However, it has been suggested to limit the ADB share to 60 percent. He said that if the financial pattern is changed then the financial benefits that Uttarakhand gets as a special category state will be affected. Therefore, the project should be approved while maintaining the original 80:20 financial arrangement.
The Chief Minister expressed confidence that the hydro power potential of Uttarakhand will play an important role in realizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolve of a developed India and energy self-reliance. He said that the positive cooperation of the Government of India will provide new impetus to the energy sector, infrastructure and sustainable development of the state. The Union Power Minister assured positive action on the proposals presented by the Chief Minister.
