Tapovan Vishnugad Hydropower Project

26-08-2023

10:44 AM

1 min read

Prelims: Science & Technology

Tapovan Vishnugad Hydropower Project Blog Image

Overview:

With residents of the Joshimath town reporting an increase in landslides and hundreds of houses at the hill town in Uttarakhand developing cracks, the district administration has issued orders to stop work on the National Thermal Power Corporation’s (NTPC) Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project.

Key Facts about Tapovan Vishnugad Hydel Project

Location: The Tapovan Vishnugad power plant is a 520MW run-of-river project being constructed on Dhauliganga River in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand, India.
Production Capacity: The plant is expected to generate approximately 2,558GWh of electricity per year.
Who is developing: NTPC is developing the project at an estimated cost of approximately INR 29.78bn ($677m).

About Dhauliganga River:

Origin: It rises in the vicinity of the Niti Pass in the border regions between Garhwal region of Uttarakhand and southwestern Tibet.
At Raini, it is joined by the Rishi Ganga river.
It is one of the important tributaries of Alaknanda, the other being the Nandakini, Pindar, Mandakini and Bhagirathi.
It meets the Alaknanda River (the major source stream of the Ganges River) at Vishnuprayag in Uttarakhand.
Length: The length of this river is about 94 km.
Tapovan, which is famous for its hot springs, is located on the banks of Dhauliganga.

National Thermal Power Corporation’s (NTPC)

What is it? NTPC Limited is an Indian Public Sector Undertaking incorporated under the Companies Act 1956.
Jurisdiction: It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Power, Government of India.
Headquarters: New Delhi
NTPC was conferred Maharatna status in 2010.
Business: NTPC's core business is generation and sale of electricity to state-owned power distribution companies and State Electricity Boards in India.
The company has also been involved in oil and gas exploration and coal mining activities.
NTPC Limited is the largest power company in India which has a total capacity of 62,086 MW electric power generation.

Q1) Where is Joshimath town located?

At a height of 6,107 feet, Joshimath is a busy town in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. The town, located on the middle slope of a hill, was built on the debris of a landslide triggered by an earthquake more than a century ago.

Source: Joshimath sinking | People panic, projects stopped