Teesta-V Hydropower Station

About Teesta-V Hydropower Station:

• It is a 510 MW hydropower project located on the Teesta River basin in Gangtok district, Sikkim. 
• This run-of-river project has an 88.6-meter high, 176.5-meter-long, concrete gravity dam impounding a regulating reservoir for daily power peaking.
• It has been developed in a single phase. The project construction commenced in 1999 and subsequently entered into commercial operation in 2008. 
• The project is developed and owned bythe National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).

Key Facts about Teesta River:

• It is a trans-Himalayan River flowing through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal and Rangpur in Bangladesh.
• It is a tributary of Brahmaputra river.
• This river forms a boundary between Sikkim and West Bengal.
• Course:
  • It rises in the Himalayasnear Chunthang in Sikkim (India), flows to the south, cutting a deep gorge through the Siwalik Hills east of Darjeeling (in West Bengal, India).
  • It turns southeast to run through the Sivok Khola pass onto the plains of West Bengal.
  • Originally, the river continued southward to empty directly into the upper Padma River (Ganges).
  • About 1787, however, the river changed its course to flow eastward, crossing the Rangpur region of Bangladesh to join the Jamuna River (Brahmaputra).
  • It has a total length of about 309 kilometers, and it drains an area of about 12,540 square kilometers. 
• Major Tributaries:
  • Left-bank Tributaries: Lachung Chhu, Chakung Chhu, Dik Chhu, Rani Khola, Rangpo Chhu.
  • Right-bank Tributaries: Zemu Chhu, Rangyong Chhu, Rangit River.