9 mini-hydel plants in Pune to go on stream next year

As many as nine privatised hydropower projects in the district will start generating 23.9 MW of electricity by next year.  

These include Patgaon (2.5 MW), Kasari (2.5 MW), Jangamhatti (0.5 MW), Kumbhi (2.5 MW), Tulshi (1.6 MW), Jambre (4 MW), Chikotra (1.8 MW), Ghatprabha (8 MW) and Ambehol (0.5 MW).  

A senior officer from the irrigation department said the power projects at Chitri (2 MW) and Radhanagari (10 MW) have already started generating power through privatisation. “The remaining projects will start generating power in a year,” he added.   These hydropower projects, set up on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis, will together generate 35.9 MW power for the district.  “The BOT projects are taken up by various cooperative and private industries for 30 years. They recover their investment by selling electricity,” he said.  

The officer told DNA that the district has good potential for generating hydropower from more Kolhapur type (KT) weirs.  “There are 275 KT weirs in the district constructed on various rivers and mini-irrigation tanks. A head of 3 metres is sufficient for generating electricity,” he said.  

Such micro-hydroelectric power projects on KT weirs have already been successful at Tervan-Medhe (300 KW) in Sindhudurg district; Tambe (1 MW) and at Nisre (1 MW), both near Karad.  

“A single micro-hydroelectric power project requires around 25 acres of land near the KT weir, which is a difficult task,” he said.  There are at least 80 major KT weirs in the district where power generation projects can be undertaken.