PTC Signs Agreement for Bhutan’s 720 MW Mangdechhu Hydropower Plant

PTC India has announced that it has signed an agreement with Bhutan's Druk Green Power Corporation for purchasing surplus power from the 720 MW Mangdechhu hydropower plant in Bhutan for the next 35 years. The government has nominated PTC as the nodal agency from Indian side to obtain surplus power from Bhutan, a company statement believed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Mangdechhu power plant on August 17, 2019, in the presence of his Bhutanese equivalent.

"With the commissioning and starting of supply from Mangdechhu, the PTC will be managing around 2,130 MW of hydro capacity from Bhutan," PTC India Chairman and Managing Director Deepak Amitabh said.

The Mangdechhu plant is a 720 MW run-of-river power project built on the Mangdechhu river in Trongsa Dzongkhag district of central Bhutan. The project is funded by a mix of debt and grant from India.

The project is assessed to generate 2,923 GWh (2.923 billion units) of electricity and offset 2.2 Mt of CO2 a year. The energy generated will be transferred to India through Jigmeling and Salakati sub-station.

The Ministry of Power has allotted this electricity to the states of Assam, Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal.