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Hydel Power Project To Come Up In Eco Park The First Project Of Its Kind in Eastern India

By ugesh sarkar, Section Development
Posted on Thu Jul 17, 2008 at 05:08:58 AM EST

A nature park would help in generating hydel power which according to the officials is going to be the first project of its kind in Eastern India. If everything works out as planned, power generated from the Nachan reservoir that is surrounded by an eco-park will be distributed through the grid within one year. German technology also will be used for this purpose.

Foreign Direct Investment is proposed to help in the installation of the 5 MW hydel power project inside the Nachan eco-park about 10 km from the Durgapur industrial town. The state power department has also expressed interest in sharing the investment of the project. The commissioning of the 5 MW power plant is outlined to resume within the next six months. ExSeM India, a German collaboration company operating in south Bengal has proposed the power project in a state irrigation dam.

The ExSeM India Krishi Bikash Limited has taken over the dam and the nature park surrounding the water body in a 10 years lease from the Laudoha Panchayat Samiti here. Mr Ujjwal Banerjee, MD, ExSeM India said: "We are planting a tail-pull dam hydel power project that would generate 5 MW hydel power. The power, as we have discussed with the state power department will be distributed by the state power distribution companies through its own grids." He said: "We are incorporating a German technology and the technocrats have already inspected the site."

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Mr Banerjee said: "The entire project would require Rs 400 crore fund investment and a significant portion of that would be on the FDI form by the ExSeM Gmbh, the mother German company." Nachan is located within the assembly constituency of state power minister Mr Mrinal Banerjee. Mr Banerjee had several discussions with the company regarding the project. He said: "After the project comes up it will set an example of alternative usage of a nature park."

The dam spread across 84 acres was prepared by the state irrigation department to help storage of minor irrigation water in 1970. As stated by Mr Rathin Roy, Mayor, Durgapur Municipal Corporation: "It was left abandoned for years and the irrigation department had practically lost interest in it. The local panchayat samiti finally agreed to lease out the dam and the park area to the private entrepreneurs to help in its maintenance and revenue generation."

Mrs Sikha Karmakar, Saha-Sabhadhipati, Burdwan Zilla Parishad told The Statesman: "We had been looking for a strategic partner for the dam and the nature park for awhile. The private company was handed over the dam in December last year." The company has also proposed to share power generation revenue with the Panchayat Samiti.

Mrs Karmakar said: "The matter needs to be discussed further. Since the Panchayat Samiti cannot generate power, the Central Electricity Authority has not given the Samiti license."

Source: The Staesman 17/July/08

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