Small Hydro Power: India Achieves 5,000 MW Installed Capacity Milestone
Practice PYQs on this topic
500+ questions on Environment with explanations
📌 Summary:
-
India has crossed 5,000 MW of installed Small Hydro Power (SHP) capacity, making it one of the top 5 nations globally in SHP development
-
Small Hydro Power defined as projects up to 25 MW capacity; these are run-of-river projects with minimal environmental impact compared to large dams
-
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has been implementing SHP development through the Central Financial Assistance (CFA) scheme providing ₹1.5 crore/MW for general states and ₹2 crore/MW for special category states
-
Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, and northeastern states hold ~70% of India's SHP potential of 21,135 MW
-
Current achievement of 5,000 MW represents only 23.6% of the total assessed potential, indicating significant untapped opportunity
-
SHP projects benefit local communities: provide electricity to remote/hilly areas not connected to the grid, generate local employment, and support tourism infrastructure
-
Challenges include geological surveys, forest clearances, displacement issues, and grid connectivity in remote areas
-
SHP contributes to India's target of 500 GW non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 under Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)
-
MNRE is encouraging private sector participation through competitive bidding and simplification of approval processes
UPSC Classification
See PYQs related to “Environment”
Every classification tag above links to actual UPSC questions asked on that topic — with answer, explanation and elimination logic. Only in the app.