Ministry directs NHPC to study quake impact on hydro projects

New Delhi: The Power Ministry today asked NHPC to conduct study on impact of earthquake on dam sites of the hydro electric power major in the North East region. The ministry advised the public sector undertaking to avail the services of seismic experts from IIT Roorkee in this regard.[caption id="attachment_90246" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="Minister of State for Power K C Venugopal. Image courtesy PIB"][/caption] NHPC has two projects—510 MW Teesta Hydel Power Station and 60 MW Rangit Hydel Power Station—in Sikkim. In a review meeting with officials, Minister of State for Power K C Venugopal took stock of the post-earth quake situation at NHPC's two power stations in Sikkim, according to a statement.The earthquake on Sunday has caused large scale damages in Sikkim. An expert team of geologists, engineers and senior executives of NHPC have also been asked to visit the site and submit report to the Power Ministry."Power Supply position in Gangtok was also reviewed and Power Grid Corp. was instructed to expedite restoration of power," the statement said. Further, the North Eastern Electric Power Corp (Neepco) has been asked to compile the seismic data collected from its power stations in North Eastern states for further analysis at IIT Roorkee.Venugopal has also asked NHPC to act on a war-footing basis and also spare its men as well as machinery for various rehabilitation works in Sikkim.PTI