Southern States
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Kerala
Small hydel projects need of the hour: study
By Radhakrishnan Kuttoor
PATHANAMTHITTA, DEC. 31. While Kerala's power generation continues to be alarmingly grim to meet the State's growing energy needs, there are demands from various quarters for a serious Governmental initiative for setting up small hydro-electric projects (SHPs) in different parts of the State that could resolve the ongoing energy crisis in an eco-friendly, cost-effective manner.
Experts in the power sector are of the opinion that the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) appeared to be sidelining the very high SHP potential of the State, despite the fact that, if fully exploited, it could very well solve the power crisis.
The recent trend in the State's load growth indicates that the peak load increases at a faster proportion than the base load, says Ms. S. Aswathy, a first rank-holder in MA Economics from the Madras Christian College, who has conducted an indepth study on the SHP potential of Kerala.
According to Ms. Aswathy, it is estimated that the night-time power consumption in Kerala is twice that during the day, creating a very high demand during the peak time which indicates the rapid growth of domestic consumption more than the rate of increase of the industrial consumers in the State.
The large hydro-electric projects have been subject of severe criticism in many developed countries and large dams are considered social, ecological, and environmental disasters. In Europe and the United States, problems related to large dams like submerging of agricultural land, effects on aquatic life, submergence of and fragmentation of forest areas, etc., are seriously looked into and large dams are being decommissioned and dismantled as technological mistakes, she said.
However, the small hydro projects are environment friendly as they do not involve the construction of large dams and problems associated with the creation of artificial reservoirs.
The study says that, ``as far as the power sector in Kerala is concerned, the need of the hour is to bring out a distinction between the rural and urban energy development policies. The rural power policy should be based on the local requirements and the forms of energy available locally. The SHPs are capable of meeting such requirements and it should be given priority in employment generation, poverty alleviation and rural development policies of the State.''
The first place that received electricity in Kerala is reported to be Munnar where a small hydro-electric station was started by Messrs. Kannan Devan Hill Produce and Company in 1940. The Pallivasal hydel project which was started in 1940-41 in the erstwhile Travancore State was the first public sector power project in Kerala.
A survey conducted by the KSEB has identified 76 small hydel sites with a total potential of 405 MW. Unfortunately, in spite of the vast SHP potential, this was never taken as a viable energy option in Kerala until recently.
However, inspired by the SHP experiments in Nepal and China, at least a few non-governmental agencies in the State have taken up the issue seriously and the People's School of Energy in Kannur district has made the breakthrough in 1997 at a place called Asan Kavala.
The original plan was to set up a small generating station to supply power to 10 local households who could pool in the initial cost. But, nine of the 10 houses backed out and the project was scaled down to 1 KW generation at an investment of Rs. 24,000. However, once the project was set up successfully, the other houses too joined the initiative.
The significance of the Asan Kavala scheme was that it initiated a process wherein the idea of SHPs on an individual or community basis was possible, said Ms. Aswathy.
The experiment was soon followed by a group of enterprising farmers of Pathenpara in Naduvil panchayat and the People's School of Energy provided the technical assistance to set up a 2.4 KW micro hydel station there with its own power distribution system to 10 houses, 15 shops and four public utilities in the locality.
Similarly, in Chapparappadvu panchayat in Kannur district, a project with an installed capacity of 2.5 KW was completed in June, 1999 with an investment of Rs. 1.25 lakhs from the panchayat's Plan fund and Rs. 1.25 lakhs as beneficiaries' contribution. Each household contributed Rs. 2,250 in addition to labour during the 30-day construction phase and the project is reportedly looked after by a seven-member committee elected by the beneficiaries.
The KSEB has prepared a list of 18 SHPs with a total capacity of 89.75 MW to be set up with Chinese collaboration at Perunthenaruvi (10 MW), Chembukkadavu Stage-I (2.7 MW), Chembukkadavu Stage-II (3.75 MW), Urmi Stage-I (3.75 MW), Urmi Stage-II (2.4 MW), Anakampoil (6.75 MW), Pathankayam (4 MW), Kakkadampoil HH-1 (20 MW0, Kakkadampopil HH-2 (5 MW), Poovaramthode (2 MW), Olikkal ( 5.5 MW), Kulimutty (3 MW), Chathankottunada (7 MW), Vilangadu (7 MW), Poozhithode (3.5 MW), Maniyar tailrace (5 MW) and Thevarmudi (4.75 MW).
According to Ms. Aswathy, the monopoly of the KSEB over the generation and distribution of power is a major stumbling block for the development of SHPs under the initiative of the local bodies. ``It is strange that the Government, while encouraging private participation in SHP development on a commercial basis, does not give adequate attention to the same developed on a community basis,'' she adds.
The power crisis in the State began in 1980s. However, the installed capacity has increased from 1,505.5 MW in 1996 to 2,385.5 MW by December, 1999.
According to Ms. Aswathy, about 40 per cent of the State's villages are not electrified because a major proportion of the power generated here is being supplied cheaply to the high tension and extra high tension consumers, despite the KSEB claim that 100 per cent of Kerala villages have been electrified as early as 1979.
She said that Kerala has been constantly maintaining a very poor transmission and distribution system, leading to a very high
transmission and distribution loss. The grid system in Kerala has been designed basically to supply electricity to industries and in the process of ensuring quality power supply through well laid out grids to the industrial units, the T&D system to the domestic sectors were neglected, she added.
The remoteness of the domestic consumers from the main grid has often been portrayed as the main reason for the discrepancy in the distribution system.
The study harps on the development of SHPs which is one of the ways to tide over the State's power crisis, besides sincere attempts to formulate demand-side management techniques.
It has been predicted that the State's domestic consumption will increase at an annual rate of 10 per cent and its projected demand in 2020 is 24,500 million units (MU).
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