A new hydropower plant with a capacity of 180MW in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh has been connected to the grid and started generating electricity.

GE Power India Limited (GEPIL), part of GE Renewable Energy, commissioned the Bajoli Holi Hydropower Plant, which consists of three units of 60MW of capacity each.

The run-of-the-river facility, built on the river Ravi in the Chamba District, supplies electricity to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport that recently became the first in the country to run entirely on hydro and solar power.

It provides 94% of the energy required by the airport, with the rest of the 6% coming from onsite solar power plants.

Brian Selby, Regional General Manager, Asia, China & India at GE Renewable Energy Hydro Solutions, said: “It gives us immense pleasure to announce that the 180MW Bajoli Holi Project has been commissioned despite a series of challenges created by the pandemic.

“In the face of lockdown restrictions in the last year, the site team persevered and continued the erection and commissioning activities by diligently monitoring and implementing precautionary measures and administrative controls. Thanks to the fantastic support extended by our customer GMR as well as the expertise and dedication of the GE Hydro Solutions teams, all the three units were commissioned as committed.”