Welcome Action on Hydropower Front

Context: Hydropower has showcased its ability to face unexpected load demands during pandemic. An integrated hydropower planning nationally is clearly essential. 

Benefits of hydropower  :

• Maintains system stability: with its ability to ramp up instantly and meet the unexpected demand.
• Complementing solar and wind: Since solar and wind energy have large variability, hydropower provides grid stability.

Way Forward:

• Shore up hydropower mix: with large hydropower projects (>25MW) tagged as renewable energy, it will contribute to power ministry’s expectation 65GW of hydropower capacity function by 2030.

• Sustainability assessment: necessary for long term project.

• Multiple projects in same river should take account for river regime, water availability and siltation to avoid misleading cost benefit calculus due to lower peak capacity.

• Boost run-of-river projects: like Teesta hydro power Project which has been rejuvenated recently by takeover by NHPC. 

• Complete interstate agreement on water usage.