The Hindu Business Line : US co Dodson-Lindblom to enter Indian hydel biz

Hydel projects
The company has revived and is profitably running an old 12-MW capacity hydel project in Maharashtra.
It would shortly commission a 2.2-MW capacity greenfield hydel project at Birsingpur in Madhya Pradesh.

Kolkata , July 1

Dodson-Lindblom International Inc of the US plans to penetrate the Indian hydel power generation business by setting up a series of small and medium projects.

The Ohio-based company has quietly established its credibility by reviving and profitably running an old 12-MW capacity hydel project in Maharashtra, which it took over through a global bidding in 2001.

The company, which is owned by NRI Mr Vikram Rajadhakshya, has just taken over the management control of another hydel project from the Maharashtra Government. The 34-MW capacity project at Bhandargarh was also obtained through a global bidding. An estimated Rs 146 crore would be invested to revamp the project in two phases.

When contacted, the Managing Director (Indian Operations) of Dodson-Lindblom, Mr Shyam Vaidya, told Business Line over telephone from Pune, that the company was interested in small and medium projects because Indian geological conditions were suited for them. .

In addition to turning around the existing sick hydel projects, the company was equally interested in greenfield hydel projects, he said.

5 projects in Himachal

The company would shortly commission a 2.2-MW capacity greenfield hydel project at Birsingpur in Madhya Pradesh.

This project attracted an investment of about Rs 17 crore. Meanwhile, it has obtained necessary clearances from the Himachal Pradesh Government for setting up a total of five hydel projects in the State, each of which will have a capacity ranging from 4 MW to 4.5 MW.

Mr Vaidya said Dodson-Lindblom had firmed up a Rs 330-crore plan for the projects under various stages of implementation in India.

Of the total investment, about 80 per cent of funds were being sourced from the Washington-based International Financial Corporation and also from domestic FIs, leaving the rest to be met from internal resources.