MEIL and RHPCL ink agreement to build 850 MW Ratle hydropower project in J&K

The agreement was signed between RHPCL CEO Deepak Saigal and MEIL VP Umamaheswara Reddy, in the presence of Manoj Sinha, the Lieutenant Governor.

In a historic move, an agreement was signed between RHPCL and MEIL to execute the 850-MW Ratle hydel project on a turnkey basis within a stipulated time frame.

The contract was signed by Deepak Saigal, CEO, RHPCL, and Umamaheswara Reddy, vice president, MEIL, at the Convention Centre in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.

Speaking at the occasion, Sinha described this signing as a historic move to achieve J&K’s self-sufficiency in power sector.

Sinha expressed his sincere gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being able to prioritize the rapid development of J&K by approving new power projects.

He added that allocation of new power projects will help address the current power deficit in the state as well as help meet the needs of the UT’s expanding economy.

Sinha went on saying that the state has embarked on a large-scale capacity enhancement programme in the power sector, which has resulted in a dramatic increase in power transmission and distribution capacity.

“New power generation projects such as Ratle, Pakal Dul, Kiru, among others, will fill a large gap in the UT’s electricity demand,” he added.

Knowing that the 850 MW Ratle power project will create direct and indirect employment opportunities for the local population, the Lt Governor directed the concerned agencies to set up a comprehensive skilling platform for the locals so that they can tap into the project’s employment potential.

Though the state has potential to generate 20,000 MW of hydropower, just 3,500 MW of it has been tapped in the last 70 years. Sinha further stated that the generation capacity, is set to double in next four years in the state.

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