List of Hydropower Plants in India

Q: 3. What are the three advantages of hydropower?

The three main advantages of using hydropower are,It is renewable energy as no pollution is created during this process because the main source of this plant is water bodies.Hydroelectric power plant is a very reliable source of energy as the water flow is very predictable and able to serve an ample amount of water. And it demands a very low amount of energy also.This procedure is very safe as there is no chance of any oil spill or gas breaking.

General Knowledge

List of Hydropower Plants in India

Reviewed by:

Nafeez Khan

About Hydropower Energy of India

The hydropower plant is contemplated as one of the most economical and pollution-free renewable sources of energy. The word 'Hydroelectricity' is termed as the power that is produced from the water. Now the word hydropower actually means the power which is produced by the gravitational force of falling water. Generally, hydropower is obtained by the forces of falling water. The energy is generated basically by using a dam or recreation structure to modify the natural forces of a river or any other water body.

Hydropower basically depends on the endless recharging systems of flowing water to produce non-polluted electricity. The flowing water is powered by kinetic energy when it flows downstream, and the turbines are used to convert the kinetic energy into electricity. In the following article, we included the list of hydropower plants in India.

Hydro Power Plant in India

India is a residence for most of the hydropower plants across the world. It is considered that India is ranked No. 5 in the world after countries such as China, Brazil, the USA and Canada for generating the best renewable and pollution-free hydropower capacities. The hydropower plant in India currently exists at more than 50 Gigawatts units.

The first hydroelectric power plant in India was established in Karnataka near the Shivasamudram falls of the Cauvery with 4.5 Megawatt in 1902. The first hydroelectric power station in India was near the Kolar gold mines, which are located 90 miles away. The first smallest hydropower plant of 130 kilowatts was established in Darjeeling in 1897. Now we are included when power development in India commences? The power development in India commenced at the end of the 19th century with the commissioning of the hydel power supply in Darjeeling in 1897.

The largest hydropower plant in India is the Koyna Hydroelectric Project which is located near the Patan near the Konya River. The capacity of this power plant is 1960 Megawatts. It can be said to be one of the biggest hydroelectric power plants in India and a complex project including four dams with the largest dam on the Koyna River in Maharashtra. Presently we are discussing which state produces the most hydroelectric power in India? Uttarakhand is the state where the maximum hydropower is produced in the Tehri Dam with 2400 megawatts energy supply. The dam was commissioned in the year 2006. Currently, there are 197 hydel power stations in India.

The hydroelectric power plant in India comes under the important Indian geography portion for UPSC Prelims Examination. So, it is vital for the aspirants to get information of some important hydel power stations in India.

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Here is the List of hydroelectric power plants in India

Name of the Power Plant	Location of the Power Plant	Operators Name	Configuration	Some Important Facts of this Power Plant
Tehri Dam (3 stages)	Uttarakhand	THDC Limited, Uttarakhand	2400 MW	Tehri Dam is considered to be the largest and important hydel power station in India which was first commissioned in 2006 and established in 1978 with the technical collaboration with the USSR.
Koyna Hydroelectric Project (4 stages)	Maharashtra	MAHAGENCO Maharashtra State Power Generation co Ltd.	1960 MW	The Koyna Hydroelectric project is one of the largest projects in India, which is constructed across the Konya River in Maharashtra.
Srisailam	Andhra Pradesh	APGENCO	1670 MW	Srisailam Dam is considered the second-largest hydropower plant in India, which is constructed on the Krishna River and located between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Nathpa Jhakri (6 turbines × 25 MW)	Himachal Pradesh	Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam	1500 MW	The Nathpa Jhakri is the concrete gravity dam that is constructed on the Satluj River in Himachal Pradesh.
Sardar Sarovar Dam	Navagam, Gujarat	Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd.	1450 MW	The Sardar Sarovar Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Narmada River, which is considered to be the largest dam of the Narmada Valley Project.
Bhakra Nangal Dam ( Gobind Sagar )	Sutlej River, Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh	Bhakra Beas Management Board	1325 MW	The Bhakra Nagal is a concrete gravity dam that is constructed on the Sutlej River in Bilaspur village in the district of Himachal Pradesh. This project was mainly generated between Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. And the most outflow of water is used by the Punjab and Haryana for irrigation.
Chamera I	Himachal Pradesh	NHPC Limited	1071 MW	Chamera is a hydropower plant which is constructed on the Ravi River that is located near the Dalhousie town in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh
Sharavati Project	Karnataka	Karnataka Power Corporation Limited	1035 MW	Linganamakki reservoir is the official name of Sharavathi Dam, which is constructed on the Sharavathi River is 6 kilometres away from the Jog Falls.
Indira Sagar Dam, Narmada River	Madhya Pradesh	Narmada Valley Development Authority	1000 MW	The Indirasagar Dam is considered to be one of the multipurpose projects situated in Madhya Pradesh which is constructed on the Narmada River at Narmadanagar Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh.
Karcham Wangtoo Hydroelectric Plant	Himachal Pradesh	Jaypee Group	1000 MW	The Karcham Wangtoo is a hydroelectric power plant that is constructed on the Sutlej River and located in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh.
Dehar (Pandoh) Power Project	Himachal Pradesh	Bhakra Beas Management Board	990 MW	The Dehar (Pandoh) Dam is built across the river Beas in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, and it was first commissioned in 1977 for the primary purpose of hydropower generation.
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam Guntur	Andhra Pradesh	Andhra Pradesh Power Generator Corporation Limited	960 MW	Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is a hydroelectric power plant constructed on Krishna River, which is spread between the Nalgonda district of Telangana and Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh and was commissioned in 1967.
Purulia Pass	West Bengal	West Bengal Electricity Distribution Company	900 MW	Purulia Pumped Storage is a hydroelectric power plant by West Bengal Electricity Distribution Company. The plant can generate 900 MW of stored water from the upper dam to the lower dam through the reversible pump turbine.
Idukki	Kerala	Kerala State Electricity Board	780 MW	Idukki Dam is the largest source of electricity which is built across the Periyar River in the Idukki district of Kerala. It was commissioned in 1976 and dedicated by the Prime Minister, Smt. Indira Gandhi.
Salal I & II	Jammu and Kashmir	NHPC Limited	690 MW	Salal Hydroelectric power station state I and Stage II is constructed on the Chenab River in the district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Upper Indravati	Orissa	Odisha Hydro Power Corporation	600 MW	Upper Indravati Dam is a hydroelectric power plant, which is constructed across the river Indravati with the instalment of 600 Megawatts power supply.
Ranjit Sagar Dam	Punjab	Punjab State Power Corporation Limited	600 MW	Thein Dam is another name of Ranjit Sagar Dam, which is used as a hydropower plant and for irrigation purposes and is constructed across the Ravi River in the district of Punjab.
Omkareshwar	Madhya Pradesh	Narmada Hydroelectric Development Corporation	520 MW	Omkareshwar Dam is a gravity dam which is constructed across the Narmada River in Khandwa in the district of Madhya Pradesh. This hydroelectric power plant is installed with a 520 MW power supply.
Balimela Dam	Orissa	Odisha Hydro Power Corporation	510 MW	The Balimela Dam is constructed in the Malkangiri in the district of Odisha, and it is built across the Sileru River, a tributary of the Godavari River. This hydropower plant is a joint project of the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha governments.
Teesta Dam	Sikkim	NHPC Limited	510 MW	Teesta is one of the major hydropower plant projects constructed in river Teesta, located in East Sikkim, installed with a 510 MW power supply.

FAQs on List of Hydropower Plants in India

1. What is the importance of hydroelectric power supply?

Hydroelectric power projects are renewable and pollution-free useful power resources. In this plant, water bodies from the different sources are the main source, and flowing water from the tops has the potential energy and is converted into electrical energy with the help of turbines.

2. What are the three main components of a hydroelectric power plant?

A typical hydroelectric power plant has three main parts: a power plant where the electricity is produced, a dam constructed on the river that can be opened or closed to control the water flow, and a reservoir where water can be used stored. The three main parts are so important for continuing the hydroelectric power procedures. In this plant, the water behind the dams flows through and pushes against the blades of turbines to turn around.

3. What are the three advantages of hydropower?

The three main advantages of using hydropower are,

It is renewable energy as no pollution is created during this process because the main source of this plant is water bodies.
Hydroelectric power plant is a very reliable source of energy as the water flow is very predictable and able to serve an ample amount of water. And it demands a very low amount of energy also.
This procedure is very safe as there is no chance of any oil spill or gas breaking.