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Load-shedding withdrawn in State

Kollam: Load-shedding in the State has been withdrawn with effect from Saturday, Electricity Minister A.K. Balan has said.

The Minister said completion of repairs of the Idukki hydroelectric project in seven days enabled the withdrawal of load-shedding three days ahead of schedule.

Half the power needed by the State comes from the project. For the past 33 years, no maintenance had been done there. This warranted emergency maintenance now. The Minister was full of praise for those who worked round-the-clock to complete the repairs.

A Correspondent writes from Kattappana: The powerhouse of the Idukki hydroelectric project at Moolamattom started generating power on Saturday after being closed for a week.

The lifting of the intake shutter was completed by 10 p.m. on Friday. Two of the six generators were switched on by 3.30 p.m. on Saturday. The other generators will start functioning soon.

The main works have been completed, said an official, who was a member of the team of engineers which did the repairs.

According to him, the main work on the butterfly valves could be done and a major portion of the tail-race channel could be cleaned. The pending minor works could be done even without closing the intake shutter at Kulamavu.

The board considers an achievement the completion of the major works exclusively by its engineers working 24-hour shifts without the help of the Canadian company that constructed this biggest arch dam in Asia. There had been no major repairs since the dam was commissioned in 1976.

The official said the emphasis was on completing all main works before the scheduled date and withdrawing load shedding as early as possible.

The catchment area of the Idukki dam received 5.4 mm of rainfall. However, since the power plant had been shut, the water level in the reservoir has increased marginally to 2,039.22 ft as on Saturday.

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