The path has been cleared for the proposed 114-megawatt Sela Urthing Hydroelectric Project on the Dhauliganga River in Pithoragarh district. The state government has given new impetus to this long-stalled project. Following a request from Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to the central government, the project’s DPR will be prepared. The project will generate 400 million units of electricity annually. This will save the state approximately ₹250 crore on power purchases from outside states. The main obstacle to the Sela Urthing Hydroelectric Project was environmental clearance, as its area partially falls within the Askot Wildlife Sanctuary.
This is why the project stalled
The project stalled due to policy ambiguity after the central government imposed a moratorium on projects on the Ganga and its tributaries in 2013. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami recently paid a courtesy call to Water Power Minister C.R. Patil to discuss the 114-megawatt Sela Urthing Project on the Dhauliganga River. He explained that the project is not part of the Ganga basin. He clarified that there are no restrictions on projects in basins other than the Ganga and its tributaries in the state. Therefore, the Sela Urthing Project should be approved. At the Chief Minister’s request, the central government approved the project’s progress. The Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVN) has invited tenders to prepare the project’s DPR at a board meeting. The project will provide approximately 12 percent free electricity to the state, increasing annual revenue by ₹40-45 crore. It will also ensure voltage stability and reduce transmission losses in the Pithoragarh, Munsyari, and Dharchula regions. The Sela Urthing Project will be a run-of-the-river hydroelectric project, avoiding the creation of a large reservoir, thereby limiting environmental impact. According to the technical proposal, it will have a 73-metre high concrete gravity dam, a 2.01 km long aqueduct tunnel and the power will be connected to the grid through a 400 kV transmission line.
