Mettur level falling fast

By A.V. Ragunathan

METTUR, JULY 28. The level in the Mettur Dam today dipped to 66.500 feet as against the full level of 120 feet. With a meagre inflow of 802 cusecs, the discharge was maintained only at 6,322 cusecs.

The head of the sculpted bull and spires (which normally remain submerged under the water span) have started showing up.

Power generation curtailed

Meanwhile, electricity generation in the Mettur thermal power station has been curtailed, for routine maintenance work being carried out in one of the four units. The station has the total capacity of 820 MW (each units having a capacity of 210 MW).

According to MTPS sources, Unit 1 has been closed ever since July 24 for mandatory annual maintenance of the boiler. The work would be completed within a fortnight and the unit resumed. The sources said the reduced generation is not due to the receding water level as reported in a section of the press.

The sources aver that even when the level in the dam stood at less than 45 feet, power generation was maintained at the regular level. However, the sources admit to a scaling down of generation because of wet coal (the coal is said to have been got drenched in rain during transit by rail), but this was only a temporary phenomenon.

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Section  : Southern States
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