Mineral and Energy Resources — II — Question 21

The main causes for the low production of hydel powers are:

1. Most of the river regimes in India are extremely erratic and highly seasonal (especially in south). Hence, these rivers cannot provide Hydel Power generation consistently.
2. Many rivers do not have natural waterfalls and huge capital has to be invested for constructing dams.
3. The sites suitable for generating hydroelectricity are located away from the consuming centres. As a result a lot of energy is wasted in transmission.