A major milestone has been reached at the 60MW Naitwar Mori hydroelectric project in Uttarkashi with the project’s foundation stone having been laid.
Shri R K Singh, India’s Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy, laid the foundation stone along with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat on 30 March.
The project is located on the river Tons – a tributary of the Yamuna, in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. The run-of-the river project was allocated to SJVN Ltd by the Government of Uttarakhand.
With environment clearance accorded in 2016, all statutory clearances for the project are in place. Major civil works were awarded in December 2017 and the project is scheduled to be completed by December 2021.
The project will include construction of 30.50m high barrage located downstream of the confluence of Rupin and Tons rivers at Naitwar village; a 4.33km long headrace tunnel 5.6m in diameter; and a 51.65m deep, 18m diameter surge shaft. It will operate two 30MW turbines.
According to a statement from the Government of India, all precautions have been taken to minimise the environmental impact of the project. Compensatory afforestation will be done on double the forestland acquired for the project, with provisions made for construction of a fishway for better fisheries management. A muck disposal plan has also been put in place to stabilise the dumping sites.
