The 60 MW Tuirial hydro-electric project in Mizoram was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 16. Construction of 60 MW hydroelectric power station began in 1998 by NEEPCO but was halted in 2004 by the Tuirial Crop Compensation Claimant Association of which the Mizo National Front then Chief Minister Pu Zoramthanga’s relatives figured among nine people named in Central Bureau of Investigation charge sheet
Here are the 6 basic facts about the project:
# It is an earth-fill and gravity dam near Kolasib in Mizoram and is primary a hydroelectric power generation project. It has two 30 MW turbines and has the installed capacity of 250 million units of electrical energy every year.
# It is the 2nd largest earthen dam in the world, and the largest in India. The height of the dam is 97 metres, and has 3 split gates and 2 tunnels. The hydro project has been constructed as a central sector project and implemented by North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO).
# Construction of the power station began in 1998 by NEEPCO, but was halted in 2004 by the Tuirial Crop Compensation Claimant Association. The project, built at a cost of Rs 1,302 crore, took nearly two decades to complete.
# The project has been implemented by NEEPCO by engaging BHEL for supply and erection of power generating equipment, Patel Engineering Ltd for execution of major civil works and Sew-PES-Tuirial consortium for Hydro-Mechanical works.
# It is the biggest power project located in Mizoram and will guarantee 24×7 Affordable Clean Power for All. Mizoram’s peak load demand is only 87 MW and will now be the third power-surplus state in the northeast after Sikkim and Tripura.
# Apart from attaining self-sufficiency in electric power, the project will help Mizoram in water supply, pisciculture and wild life conservation and tourism.