NHPC Limited has begun commercial operations of three out of four units of its 800MW Parbati-II hydroelectric project in Himachal Pradesh. Each unit has a capacity of 200MW. The units became operational at midnight on April 1, 2025. The fourth unit is expected to be commissioned shortly.
“It gives me immense pleasure to announce that 3 units of 200 MW each of NHPC’s ambitious 800MW Parbati-II Hydroelectric Project, located in Himachal Pradesh, have been successfully commissioned during March 2025 and commercial operation has commenced today on 1st April, 2025,” said NHPC Chairman and Managing Director R.K. Chaudhary. “The Parbati-II Project is one of our most ambitious projects which had overcome numerous challenges and obstacles during its construction and this achievement stands as a testament to the hard work, dedication and teamwork of our committed employees.”
The project is located in the Kullu district and is a run-of-the-river scheme with minor pondage on the Parbati River. An 83.7m-high concrete gravity dam near Pulga in the Manikaran Valley diverts water through a 31.56km-long head race tunnel (HRT) to a powerhouse at Siund in the Sainj Valley. The tunnel is the longest of its kind in India. The project uses a gross head of 862.5m and is equipped with four Pelton turbines of 200MW each. Discharge from five nallahs along the tunnel route adds to the river’s flow, enhancing generation capacity.
Two inclined pressure shafts, each 1,545.5m in length, are the world’s longest of their type constructed using Tunnel Boring Machines.
Himachal Pradesh will receive 12% of the power generated as free power, with an additional 1% allocated for local area development.
Construction began in 2002, following the foundation stone-laying by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999. The project faced several construction challenges, including cloudbursts, flash floods, and geological issues. In September 2018, part-load generation began using water from the Jiwa Nallah. This produced 1,130 million units of electricity and generated approximately Rs. 182 crore in revenue. The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 13,045 crore, and its design energy is 3,074 million units. The project is also expected to boost the generation capacity of the 520 MW Parbati-III Power Station by 1,262 million units per year.
NHPC has built 15 bridges and about 88km of roads in the project area and has spent Rs. 112 crore on local development. The company has also spent Rs. 27.83 crore under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, focusing on health, education, and community welfare.
Permanent jobs have been provided to 20 project-affected individuals, with 349 currently employed indirectly, 98% of whom are local residents. During construction, 1,361 people were employed, including 1,171 from Himachal Pradesh. Livelihood assistance has been extended to 370 affected families. NHPC has hired 58 vehicles from affected families.
A Kendriya Vidyalaya in Sainj, funded by NHPC at a cost of over Rs. 4 crore annually, currently educates 422 students, 411 of whom are from the local area. NHPC has also contributed Rs. 4 crore toward expanding the Regional Hospital Building in Kullu.
NHPC, a Navratna public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Power, focuses exclusively on renewable energy. The company’s total installed capacity stands at 7,833MW, including hydro, solar, and wind power projects. It also has a construction portfolio of 10,204MW across 16 projects.
The commissioning of Parbati-II marks a significant milestone for NHPC in its 50th year of operations.
