28-01-2021 | 12:14 PM
Ratle Hydro Electric Project
Context
The Union Cabinet has granted its approval for the long-pending 850-MegaWatt (MW) Ratle hydropower project on Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir, despite objections raised by the Pakistan government.
Key Highlights
It is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station currently under construction on the Chenab River, downstream of the village near Drabshalla in Kishtwar district of the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The project consists of 133 m (436 ft) high gravity dam and two power stations adjacent to each other. Both power stations will have an installed capacity of 850 MW.
The Power generated from the Project will help in providing balancing of Grid and will improve the power supply position.
Ratle hydropower project envisages an investment of about Rs. 5281.94 crore and the project shall be commissioned within a span of 60 months.
The Key Objectives of the project are:
The construction activities of the Project will result in direct and indirect employment to around 4000 persons and will contribute to overall socio-economic development of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Further, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will be benefitted by getting free power worth Rs. 5289 crore and through levy of Water Usage Charges worth Rs.9581 crore from Ratle Hydro Electric Project, during the project life cycle of 40 years.
The Power generated from the Project will help in providing balancing of Grid and will improve the power supply position. Grid balancing involves increasing existing power generating infrastructure in order to smooth out the supply of power.
In June 2013, then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone for the dam. Pakistan has frequently alleged that it is violating the Indus Water Treaty,1960.
About Indus Water Treaty
The Indus Waters Treaty is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan, which was brokered by the World Bank signed in Karachi in 1960.
As per this agreement, control over the water flowing in three “Eastern” rivers of India — the Beas, the Ravi and the Sutlej was given to India.
The control over the water flowing in three “Western” rivers of India — the Indus, the Chenab and the Jhelum was given to Pakistan
The treaty allowed India to use western rivers water only for limited irrigation use and unrestricted use for power generation, domestic, industrial and non-consumptive uses like navigation, floating of property, fish culture, etc. while laying down precise regulations for India to build projects.
India has also been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through the run of the river (RoR) projects on the Western Rivers which, subject to specific criteria for design and operation, is unrestricted.
