Canada Scouts for Indian Partner for Hydropower Generation

Canada said it was looking for Indian partners to set up hydro-electric power generation stations and was scouting for ventures for plant management and transmission and distribution.

A high-level Canadian power delegation would visit India from March 19 to 25 to explore business opportunities in this sector, Canadian High Commission Trade Advisor Ashwani Nanda told reporters here recently.

The 15-member delegation would make presentations to government officials and independent power producers on power generation, plant management and refurbishment, utility restructuring, transmission and distribution, he said.

Canadian companies have developed 2000 MW of hydro power in India, which constitutes around 10 per cent of the country's installed hydro capacity.

The delegation which comprises power genertion utility, equipment manufacturer and funding agencies, would also meet officials of State Electricity Boards (SEBs) of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh in north, West Bengal in east, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in south and North-Eastern states for funding their restructuring.

Canadian funding agencies Export Development Corporation (EDC) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) would make available Canadian state-of-the-art products and technologies to Indian partners, he added.