National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) has started commercial operation at the Teesta V plant in Sikkim, India, and plans to bring the last two units online shortly.
All three units have been commissioned and the first of the 170MW sets went into commercial operation in February.
Teesta V is a run-of-river scheme to be part of a cascade development on the river Teesta in East Sikkim District.
The project was developed at a cost of US$660M and includes: a 96.45m high concrete gravity dam; a 9.5m diameter by 17km long horseshoe-shaped headrace tunnel; and, an underground powerhouse.
The plant is also NHPC’s second hydropower project in Sikkim, the first being the 60MW Rangit scheme.
Over the last year the utility has completed two other plants, in other states – 390MW Dulhasti in Jammu & Kashmir, and 520MW Omkareshwar in Maghya Pradesh.