Lucknow, July 29 (IANS): Uttar Pradesh will get five new hydro-power projects over the next few years, officials said on Wednesday.

The decision was taken at the meeting of board of directors of the Hydro-Power Corporation on Tuesday. Principal Secretary (Energy) Sanjay Agarwal presided over the meeting wherein a status report on the existing hydro-power projects was presented.

It was also decided that work on five inter-state and international hydro-power projects -- Pancheshwar multi-purpose Dam project on Mahakali-Sharda rivers, Karnali (Ghaghra), Naimure (Bhalubhang) on Rapti river, Panchnand, and first and second units of the Dhukwa power projects -- would begin soon.

Managing director of the corporation Vishal Chauhan informed that after exhaustive maintenance, two units of 50 MW each had become operational at Rihand and a unit of 10.2 MW at the Matatila Power Station had also been operationalised.

It was also informed that in the first quarter of the current financial year, hydro-electricity generation was more than in the corresponding time frame in 2014-15.