The Hindu : Front Page : Record hydropower generation in State

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 12, 2005

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Record hydropower generation in State

T. Ramakrishnan

Thanks to two "successive bountiful" monsoons, 25 hydel dams are full and are continuing to receive inflows

— File photo

SOURCE OF POWER: The Kundah Dam near Udhagamandalam overflowing on account of heavy inflow.

CHENNAI : Hydropower generation in the current year is all set to witness a boost following two "successive bountiful" monsoons.

Since April, about 3,890 million units has been produced. Originally, power managers estimated that hydropower would account for 3,870 MU this year. The total energy availability for the year is estimated to be 54,000 MU. After studying the beneficial impact of the southwest and northeast monsoons, they are hopeful of touching 6,000 MU.

With the present storage, hydro stations can generate 2,200 more MU.

Last year on the corresponding day, the storage was sufficient to generate 2,079 MU. Besides, the hydro stations continue to receive inflows. This morning, the inflow was equivalent to 16.5 MU.

Of the 26 hydel reservoirs, all but one — Periyar dam in Theni district — are full. In the last decade, hydropower generation was the highest — 5,847 MU — in 1994-95. The lowest was 2,067 MU in 2003-04. The production was 4,426 MU and in 2004-05.

Financial impact

With the cost of hydropower production being 10 paise a unit, the Electricity Board is likely to save about Rs. 650 crores if it touches the 6,000-MU mark. This has been calculated on the basis of the difference between the original target and the revised target. The cost of power per unit is taken at Rs. 3. With greater availability of hydropower, the Electricity Board has minimised power purchase from costlier sources.

One more project

The Board has initiated the process of establishing a hydropower project in the Kundah region. The 500-MW project will be on the lines of the Kadamparai plant, where power is generated when water is pumped from a lower level lake to a higher-level reservoir.

This is estimated to cost about Rs. 2,500 crores. The preparation of a project report is under way.

On getting State Government approval, funds from the Rural Electrification Corporation and the Power Finance Corporation may be tapped.

More cheaper power

With the availability-based tariff scheme in operation, power managers say the project will enable the Board to have more cheaper power as it plans generation through pumping during off-peak hours.

Under the ABT regime, when power is generated during off-peak hours (10 p.m. to 5 a.m.), the cost will be 60 paise to Re.1 per unit.

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