Cabinet approves Rs 2,585 crore Small Hydro Power Development Scheme

New Delhi, The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a small hydro power development scheme with an outlay of Rs 2,585 crore to boost the development of 1,500 MW of renewable capacity.

"Small Hydro Power Development scheme approved by the Cabinet with an outlay of Rs 2,585 crore," Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters after the meeting of the Union Cabinet here.

The minister stated that this is an important decision from an environmental perspective for the country. The projects will be developed as run-of-river projects without constructing dams and displacing people.


Vaishnaw said that there is potential for small hydro projects at 7,133 sites with a total capacity of 21,000 MW in the country. At present, 5,100 MW of small hydro power projects are operational at 1,196 sites in the country.

The capacity of these projects is 1 MW to 25MW each. The projects will be implemented for five years till 2030-31.

The scheme is expected to attract Rs 15,000 crore in investment in small hydro projects.