No promoter yet for Himachal mega hydro project

Shimla, March 17 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh is virtually feeling powerless in re-allotting a multi-million dollar hydropower project that is under litigation with Reliance Infrastructure.

Official sources said on Tuesday there were no takers for the 960-MW Thopan-Powari-Jangi project in Kinnaur district since the last November.

"Lone bidder Flex Industries submitted both technical and financial bids on the last date (March 16) and too withdrew from the race the next day," an official of the state's directorate of energy told IANS.

"The government has now extended the bidding date till April 16," directorate of energy chief engineer S.P. Gupta told IANS that a number of companies came for the bidding on the last date but only one participated. This is the fifth extension for the project bidding.

The Thopan-Powari-Jangi hydropower project, one of the most viable ones, requires an investment of over Rs.7,000 crore and aims to generate 4,000 million units per year. It requires at least nine years for the project to go on stream.

The project was earlier allotted to Netherlands-based Brakel Corp in 2008. It later included Adani Power as a consortium partner in the project.

But the Himachal Pradesh High Court annulled it Oct 7, 2009, on a plea by Reliance Infra, one of the bidders. Brakel moved the Supreme Court but withdrew to pursue remedies suggested by the apex court in its order April 1 last year.

Reliance Infra's petition challenging the state's decision not to allot the project to it is pending in the apex court. The high court wanted the state government to take a "fresh decision as to whether it wants to re-advertise the project or wants to act on the basis of the old tender".