Power crisis in north India as hydro plants shut
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Flood caused high silt formation in Sutlej river has resulted in shutting of two major hydro power projects in Himachal Pradesh on June 17, leading to a power crisis in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. The country's biggest hydropower plant, the Nathpa-Jhakri power project and Jaypee Karcham Hydro Corp's 1,000 mw Karcham Wangtoo Hydroelectric Project, both in Kinnaur district, have been closed since June 16 due to sudden rise in silt level. Vijay Verma, Deputy General Manager of Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVNL) said that silt level has been alarmingly high in the river. SJVNL is the company that owns and operates the 1,500 mw Nathpa Jhakri power project. Heavy rainfall in the catchment area has created floodlike situation in the Sutlej, he added. Jaypee Group's Karcham Wangtoo Hydroelectric Project has also been shut. The stoppage of power generation at both the plants has created power shortage in the northern states. They supply electricity mainly to Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.