PREFEASIBILITY STUDY OF NEW HYDRO PROJECT AT UPPER GANGA CANAL IN UTTARAKHAND

Abstract

Small scale hydropower is one of the foremost cost-efficient energy technologies to be considered for electrification in developing countries because it is incredibly robust and mature, such that systems will last up to fifty years with very little maintenance. Moreover, it has low environmental impacts and can have a significant benefit if implemented in rural areas for electricity production. It is estimated that the Small hydropower potential of the Uttarakhand is up to the tune of 1708 MW, out of which only 209 MW have been harnessed, till today. It has been realised by the Government of Uttarakhand that the economic development of the state is going to be mostly possible by harnessing the hydropower potential of the state as the state is quite rich in water resource that renewed each year. The development of hydropower in Uttarakhand won't solely profit the state, however can enhance the capability of northern grid & total power generation of the country as well as, it helps in increasing per capita power consumption within the country that is incredibly low as compared to the developed countries. With this in sight, the Uttarakhand Government have set to accelerate the pace of hydropower development within the state and this project is step in this direction. The focus of this thesis is a pre-feasibility study of the technical and financial viability of power generation from a small hydropower potential site, the Asafnagar site, on Upper Ganga Canal in the state of Uttarakhand, India. The present work proposes the construction of a broad crested weir across the Upper Ganga Canal to get net head of 1.9m against a gross head of 2.1 meters and a surface power house whose installed capacity is 4.4 MW. The design discharge for the power station has been calculated using the discharge data of 11 years (2005-2016), which is measured by the Irrigation Department of the State at the gauging site and has been calculated out to be 162 cumec. The installed capacity of the power station has been estimated as 4.4 MW comprising of 2 units of 2.2 MW each. The scheme would generate 26.31 MU in a year. Tubular turbine having semi Kaplan runner, ends up in the minimum generation price and most profit and thus, may be thought of as optimum layout hydro-turbines coupled to synchronous generator that we tend to planned here. The financial analysis was carried out on the basis of already developed correlations for the cost of various components of canal based low head SHP. The total Investment cost of 2 units of project found out to be 43.47 crore with per unit generation cost of Rs 2.6 at benefit cost ratio of 1.73 based on interest rate of 12% that makes the project financially feasible