Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde recently dedicated to the nation the 510 MW Teesta Stage V hydel plant, 18 months after it was commissioned by the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) for generation of electricity at its full installed capacity. The electricity being generated at Teesta Stage V plant has gone a long way to reduce power shortage in states like West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand and Bihar — states that have signed up with the NHPC for purchase of power, he said at a function at Balutar, about 35 kms from here. The commissioning of the hydel plant has also helped the Himalayan state as it gets 12 per cent of the installed power capacity free and an annual revenue of about Rs 125 crores that could be utilised for various development work, Shinde said.

CMD, NHPC SK Garg said by next five years NHPC will generate more than 10,000MW. He informed that Government of India has given permission of 24 per cent equity disinvestment to the company. NHPC is going to IPO for generating fund for further investment in hydro projects.

Stressing on the need of effective and eco-friendly utilisation of natural resources of the state he termed the inauguration of the project as an exemplary act of development done by Sikkim. “Border state can be peaceful”, he said citing examples of the various developmental projects underway in the stat