Himachal Government has launched a comprehensive programme to solve the electricity problem in far flung areas of the state.

“After the constitution of Himurja in the state, the Department has installed 89 small hydro units of 331.25 MW so far, which are of upto 5 MW. These small hydro units are contributing significantly in solving the power problem of the people,” said an official spokesman.

While the electricity problem of the people of far flung areas has been solved, the utilization of solar power has also been encouraged in other places of the state, which has also reduced the electricity bills, he said.

The spokesman said that small hydro units of about 82.7 MW in Chamba district, 98.65 MW in Kangra district, 25.9 MW in Kinnaur district, 60 MW in Kullu district, 10.50 MW in Mandi district, 39 MW in Shimla district and 12 MW in Sirmaur district have been installed.

He said that Himurja has also installed 41 advanced gharats (grinder), 878 advanced chulhas and 17 wind solar hybrid systems at various places in the state. Besides this,  164803 street lights, 69935 lanterns, 27713 domestic lights, off grid solar power plant of 3152.45 KW, grid connected solar rooftop power plant of 14425.54 KW and 20,24,000 solar water heating systems have been made available to the public by Himurja.

To ensure electricity supply, the State Government has set up one kilowatt of grid solar power plants free of cost in 34 houses of Kunnu village and 40 houses of Charang village in district Kinnaur. Apart from this, 250 watt off grid solar power plants have been set up in the houses of one thousand BPL families in Pangi sub-division of Chamba district in December 2020 so that electrical crisis arising due to breakdown could be avoided, the spokesman said.

The Pangi area is located at an altitude of 7,000 to 11,000 feet, about 461 km from the Shimla. The State Government has made a provision of Rs 3.83 crore in the budget for the area for setting up off-grid solar power plants for people living below poverty line, he added.

The spokesman further said that grid connected solar power plants have also been set up in the capital city of Shimla. These solar power plants have been installed on the roofs of about 66 government offices in the city, which has reduced electricity bills in government offices. Also, grid connected projects of 23.25 MW have been set up on the ground, which has provided employment to unemployed youth of Himachal, he said.