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"Increase in dam height of Nathpa power project"

Kanwar Yogendra

Nathpa-Jhakri: The Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam management, which is executing the prestigious 1500 MW Nathpa-Jhakri Hydro Power project in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, has claimed to have increased the live storage capacity of Nathpa reservoir to 303 hectare meters, roughly three times of its initial storage capacity that would help in enhancing the "still pond" conditions and providing more power during peakwinter months when the water discharge is lowest.

While briefing the media persons on the dam site, GM of the project N.C. Bansal said the crest level of the dam has been increased to 1492.50 meters from the earlier 1485.50 meters. The live storage capacity of the reservoir was 111 hectare meters only and it was intentionally kept low to save and avoid the submergence of an upstream Bhaba Hydro Electric Project of the State Electricity Board.

But now with the construction of Bhaba Tailrace diversion tunnel by the SJVNL the crest level of the spillway has been raised by at least 7 meters, said Mr. Bansal. He further showed increased length of the reservoir which has been extended to 2.5 kms in comparison to the initial length of 1.1 km and that will increase the still pond conditions in the basin.

This will also result in settling of more silt particles in the reservoir and that will reduce the damage of the underwater parts of the turbines and increase the availability of the machines, he claimed. The increased pondage capacity will also help in providing more power during peak winter months when the discharge in river Sutlej is less and will help in stabilising the Northern Grid by bridging the gap in demand and supply of power , he added.

Being a run of the river project the pondage capacity of the Nathpa reservoir is still minor as compared to the large storage dams like Bhakra and Tehri but to avoid the displacement of population upstream the height of the dam was not increased disproportionately, claimed the SJVN management.

However, now there will be more settling of the silt particles and the ultimate abrasion or heavy toll on the underwater turbines parts will be checked to a large extent, they said.

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