BBMB to revive 40-yr-old power plant at Baggi.

The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government of Himachal Pradesh for operationalising the 40 MW hydropower generation plant at Baggi in the state.

The powerhouse, built on the Beas-Sutlej Link in 1976, has been lying in a disused and dilapidated state since then because of some differences over royalty and power sharing between BBMB member states of HP, Punjab and Rajasthan.

The MoU was signed by Tarun Agarwal, Secretary, BBMB, and Manasi Sahay Thakur, Director, Department of Energy, HP, during Global Investors’ Meet in Dharamsala.

DK Sharma, Chairman, BBMB, Prabodh Saxena, Principal Secretary, Power, HP, Aniruddha Kumar, Joint Secretary, Hydropower, Government of India, and Harminder Singh Chug, Member, Power, BBMB, were also present Sharma said two 20 MW power plants in the Baggi Power House would be executed by the BBMB at the tail of Pandoh-Baggi tunnel with an estimated cost of Rs. 350 crore and the project was expected to be completed in four years.

He added that the MoU was of utmost importance as it had been signed after 40 years of the completion of the BSL project. It had been assigned to the BBMB by the Union Ministry of Power, on October 22, 2019, after concurrence of all partner states of the BBMB.

The power generated from the project will be shared among partner states as per the Power Ministry’s order of October 31, 2011, after deducting free power to HP. The MoU with HP will facilitate the BBMB for establishment of the project in the state and entitle the BBMB for the subsidies and incentives in accordance with the applicable rules and policies of the state government. BBMB officials called on Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur after signing of the MoU. The Chief Minister asked the BBMB to complete the project within three years.

THE TRIBUNE