State to face power crisis

By Our Staff Correspondent

RAICHUR, OCT. 31. The Managing Director of the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), Mr. K. Jothiramalingam, has said that the State will face a power crisis in the coming months as the storage in most of the major hydel reservoirs has depleted.

Addressing presspersons at Shakthinagar near here on Wednesday, he said that due to the lack of rainfall in the catchment areas, the storage level in many of the major reservoirs, including Linganamakki, Supa, Mani Dam, and Talakalale, had not increased as expected. The storage in the Linganamakki Dam was 50.80 per cent of capacity as against 93.85 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous year; 89.71 per cent in Talakalale (96.91 per cent); 41.39 per cent in Supa (66.68 per cent); and, 63.97 per cent in Mani Dam (80.85 per cent), he added.

He said that the storage level in the reservoirs in the corresponding period of the previous year was good, and the KPCL had generated 10,450 mu. of power from hydel projects. Although it had been planned to generate 10,650 mu. during the current financial year, it would not be possible to achieve the target, and a shortage of about 2,000 mu. of power from the hydel sources was expected, he added.

Mr. Jothiramalingam said that the KPCL was able to achieve the target of power generation from the thermal source during the current financial year. As against a target of generating about 9,000 mu. of power from the Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS), 5,034 mu. had been generated so far. Steps had been taken to complete the overhauling of the six units, and the work would be completed before the end of December so as to generate power from the thermal plant to the optimum level next summer, he added.

To a question, he said that the KPCL had added about 900 MW of power to the State Grid in last two years, including 180 MW (60 MW x 3) from Gerusoppa (tail-race), 15 MW from Nagjhari, 270 MW from Kadra and Kodasalli, 210 MW from Kaiga, 220 MW from Tannirbhavi, 80 MW from TATA, and 27 MW from Rayalseema.

He said that the work on the 210-MW seventh unit of the RTPS was well ahead of schedule, and the launching of the boiler drum of the unit was completed on Wednesday, two months ahead of schedule. The unit was expected to be synchronised in March 2003, he added.

Disposal of fly-ash: On the steps taken for the safe disposal of fly-ash generated at the RTPS, he said about seven lakh tonnes of fly-ash was generated annually. The KPCL had prepared a plan to utilise about 30 per cent of fly-ash for various industrial activities. About two lakh tonnes of fly-ash was being lifted annually through a society consisting of industrial establishments, including ACC Cements, Rajashree Cements, and Vasavadatta Cements, he added.

Mr. Jyothiramalingam said the KPCL had finalised the Alamatti Hydro Project, and tenders had been floated for the civil and electro-mechanical components. Work was expected to begin in one or two months, he added.

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Section  : Southern States
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