Railway
Which was India's first hydroelectric power station?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option A — Sidrapong Hydroelectric Power Station
Detailed Solution
The Sidrapong hydel power station, near Darjeeling in West Bengal, was the first hydroelectric power plant in India. It was commissioned on 10 November 1897.
Key facts about Sidrapong:
- It was built by the Darjeeling Municipality to supply electricity to the town of Darjeeling, which was then the summer capital of the Bengal Presidency.
- Its initial capacity was 130 kW, from two generating units of 65 kW each, later increased.
- It uses water from the Sidrapong (Sidrabong) spring and streams on the slopes below Darjeeling, near the Arya tea estate.
- It is regarded as one of the oldest hydroelectric stations in Asia.
It is now managed by the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company. Its historic machinery has led to proposals to preserve it as a heritage site.
Other early hydroelectric projects in India:
Khopoli (Maharashtra): built by the Tata Hydro-Electric Power Supply Company in 1915 to supply electricity to Mumbai's textile mills. It used water from lakes in the Western Ghats (such as Walwhan), dropped down the steep escarpment.
Shanan Power House (Joginder Nagar, Himachal Pradesh): commissioned in 1932, using water from the Uhl river.
Pykara (Tamil Nadu): commissioned in 1932 in the Nilgiris; it was the first hydroelectric project of the Madras Presidency.
Hydroelectricity in India today:
- India has a large hydropower capacity, and the north-eastern states and the Himalayan region have the greatest untapped potential.
- Large hydroelectric projects include Tehri (Uttarakhand), Koyna (Maharashtra), Bhakra-Nangal (Himachal Pradesh-Punjab), Nathpa Jhakri (Himachal Pradesh) and Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh).
- NHPC Limited (formerly the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation) is the largest hydropower company in India.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Khopoli (1915) was the first major hydroelectric plant of the Tata group.
- ✗Pykara (1932) was the first such project in the Madras Presidency.
- ✗Shanan (1932) was an early hydroelectric station in the Punjab hills.
Quick tip
Remember: India's first hydroelectric plant = Sidrapong, Darjeeling (1897, 130 kW); Khopoli (Tata, 1915) powered Mumbai's mills.
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This question tests your understanding of Minerals & Energy Resources, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's mineral resources (iron ore, manganese, bauxite, copper, mica and others) and energy resources (coal, petroleum, natural gas, nuclear power and renewable energy), with their main producing regions, mines, oil fields and power plants. Questions often ask where a mineral is found, which state is the leading producer, or where an important power plant or oil field is located. For example, Jharia is known for coal, Digboi in Assam is the oldest oil field in India, and Tarapur in Maharashtra is the site of India's first nuclear power plant. Practise the minerals and energy resources questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.