US Hydropower - India Project
About the Project
Background
Over the past decade, The US
Hydropower Council for International Development (US
Hydropower) has been actively promoting the development of
hydropower in India. In a dynamic new effort launched in
late 2005, US Hydropower is expanding its efforts through
various means to remove barriers to widespread development
and investment in key hydropower states. Through a unique public private partnership structure, US Hydropower is
supported by industry and has limited support from the US
Government through a Global Development Alliance (GDA) with
the USAID mission in India. The primary goal of US
Hydropower is to identify opportunities for the US
hydropower industry in the investment and deployment of
hydropower projects and to work to address barriers to the
projects. Over the past few years, US Hydropower has been
active in India, successfully affecting policy framework at
the state and local levels and increasing MW’s of hydropower
installed. Since US Hydropower’s involvement, more than 400
MW of hydropower investment has occurred, and a pipeline of
more than 600 MW of projects exists. It is also anticipated
that several of these will achieve investment in the near
term due to resolution of policy issues at the state level
in Himanchal Pradesh and Maharashtra.
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The program is being directed in India by Dr. V.
Bakthavatsalam, former Managing Director of IREDA. The major
activities taken up by
US Hydropower through the GDA include
the sponsoring of US and Indian delegations to major
hydropower events and conferences, policy analysis and
recommendations to government entities, training and
educational trips, facilitating bi-lateral and multi-lateral
agency meetings and discussions to resolve financing
barriers, etc.
US Hydropower intends to continue the above activities and
build upon the same with the help of partner national and
international organizations in India. In keeping with the
Government of India’s target of achieving 50,000 MW of
hydropower by 2012, US Hydropower has established a
public-private sector partnership program for successful
development of hydropower in India, primarily in the small
hydro and rehabilitation sectors.
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The objective of the program is to leverage initial
contributions from the private sector and USAID along with
participation from Indian Government agencies to achieve
significant addition of hydropower capacity in India. Small
hydropower can have significant developmental benefits
including the following:
Addition
generating capacity using existing natural resources.
Reduction
in the cost of electricity generation and flexibility to
provide baseload or peaking power.
Improvement
of energy security by reducing reliance on imported fuels.
Expansion
of distribution areas for electricity service.
Avoiding
harmful emissions from fossil fuels.
Improving
access to clean water and watershed management.
Creation
of economic opportunities and jobs.
Facilitation
of social development and ancillary project benefits such as
roadways, water infrastructure and reforestation.
Coordination
discussion on models for participation by community groups
and Municipalities.
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The
International Institute for Energy Conservation (IIEC)
is one of the major partners of US Hydropower to promote the
understanding of hydro power in India. IIEC has committed to
provide in kind support by providing operational and
logistical support from its New Delhi office to assist US
Hydropower in the
design and implementation of the program. The US Hydropower
program will work in key hydropower states including
Himanchal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar
Pradesh and Uttranchal. It is proposed that the new states
with significant hydropower potential should be added at the
later stage to expand the program.
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