New hydropower plant in India; Three Gorges completed A new 234 MW hydropower pl ...

New hydropower plant in India; Three Gorges completed A new 234 MW hydropower plant has been built on the river Ravi in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, India. The Chamera III hydropower plant reached synchronisation and full load of its three 77 MW units three weeks ahead of schedule. Alstom completed the commissioning of the project which was handed over to India’s National Hydroelectric Power Corporation to start its commercial operation. The power generated from this project provides additional power capacity to India’s northern grid - one of the grids which were a part of the record breaking power cuts last month (see news story on page *). Meanwhile, China’s Three Gorges hydropower project has reached its completion following the connection of the final turbine to the country’s electricity grid. The 22.5 GW, $50bn project began life in 1994 and has been the subject of much environmental controversy, not least because of the 600 km long reservoir created by its installation. The 700 MW generating unit installed is the 32nd for the project, and means the dam, located on the Yangtze River in Hubei province, now accounts for around 11% of China’s electricity supply, reports Hydroworld. Three Gorges.tif The 22.5 GW Three Gorges project is now in full operation