Dharasu Power Station in Uttarakhand registers record electricity production

In a significant development, the Dharasu Power Station in Uttarakhand under the Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd. (UJVNL) in Chinyalisaur block of Uttarkashi district has set a new record in power production.

General Manager of UJVNL, Mohammed Gulfisha informed that the Dharasu Power Station, situated in Neri village having a power load of 304 Megawatt, achieved the milestone by producing 7.388 (average load of 307. 88 MW) million units of electricity on Wednesday.

Dharasu: A run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station on the Bhagirathi River

The Dharasu Power Station is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station on the Bhagirathi River located at Dharasu in Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, India. The power station has a 304 MW capacity. Water supplied to the power station is first diverted from the Bhagirathi River into a 16 km (10 mi) long tunnel by the 81 m (266 ft) long Bhali (Joshiyara) Dam located upstream near Bhali. 

Run-of-the-river hydroelectric systems are hydroelectric modes that harvest the energy from flowing water to generate electricity in the absence of a large dam and reservoir—which is how they differ from conventional impoundment hydroelectric facilities.

Dharasu was planned in the 1960s, commissioned in 2008

The power station is at stage two of the Maneri Bhali Hydroelectric Project which was planned in the 1960s. In 1979, construction on stage two began. On the other hand, in 1984, the first stage work of the 90 MW Tiloth Power Plant located at Maneri, 8.5 km east upstream at Uttarkashi was completed. The second stage at Dharasu was, however, halted in 1990 due to funding issues and was not reinstated until 2002. Construction work of the power station was eventually completed and commissioned by 2008.

Power station maintains previous record

Earlier, on June 25, 2018, the power station recorded the highest electricity production of 7.273 (average load of 303.4 MW) million units.

The state of Uttarakhand is renowned for its scenic beauty and rivers. India's two major rivers viz. Ganga and Yamuna begin their journey from the state. Besides these two rivers, Uttarakhand has a huge network of rivers and canals which provides an immense scope for the generation of hydropower energy. One of the first hydro-power stations in India was commissioned at Galogi in 1907. More power stations were subsequently developed over a period of time. Uttarakhand has a very high potential for the generation of hydroelectric power, which is yet to be developed.