Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) is reviewing bids from consultants to undertake studies into the 444MW Vishnugad Pipalkoti hydro project.
Deadline for expressions of interest from consultants was 20 April. The company has just over US$910,000 available for technical studies on the project, which is most of the project-related grant from the Japanese government to India.
The 24 week study is to cover environmental impacts of the project on downstream flows, flora and fauna, and to consolidate previous reports.
The project is to be built on the steep-sided Alaknanda river. It will involve construction of a 65m high dam, three desilting chambers, a 13.4km long by 8.8m wide headrace tunnel and a 130m high by 20m wide surge shaft. An underground power house will hold four Francis turbines of 111MW capacity, and discharge via a 3.1km long tailrace tunnel.
The deadline for prequalification submissions for the engineer-procure-construct (EPC) turnkey contract is 29 June.
THDC signed the implementation agreement for the project in mid-2006 with the state government of Uttarakhand. The scheme won technical and economic clearance to proceed last September, and in the same month the World Bank carried out a study with a view to assessing possible funding support or the scheme.