Two mega hydropower plants in Himachal shut

Shimla, July 25 (IANS) The country's two mega hydropower plants in Himachal Pradesh were temporarily shut down on Wednesday, owing to a rise in the level of the silt content in the Satluj river, disrupting power supply to the northern states, including New Delhi.

"The 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri plant and 412 MW Rampur Hydro Electric Project were temporarily closed as the silt content in the river rose more than the permissible limit," Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVNL) Chairman and Managing Director Nand Lal Sharma told IANS.

The company operates both the hydro projects.

The generation was stopped as the silt could damage the turbines, he said, adding "it is likely to resume late Wednesday or early Thursday".

The company runs the Nathpa Jhakri hydropower project in Kinnaur district, while the Rampur plant is located in Shimla district.

This was the season's first closure of both the plants.

SJVNL, a joint venture between the centre and the state government, supplies electricity mainly to Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

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