4 power projects shut due to heavy silting in Sutlej after flash flood

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 28

Four major power projects on Sutlej, including 1500 MW Nathpa Jhakri, 412 MW Rampur, 120 MW Bhabha and 300 MW Baspa stage–II, remained shut for last 15 hours due to heavy discharge of silt following flash floods.

The silt level in Sutlej near Wangtu shot up to 60,000 particles per minute at midnight.

This in turn has triggered blackout in parts of Himachal and in industrial corridor.

The state is facing an acute power shortage of 1000 MW from last evening due to the power project shutdown by SJVNL and other power producers due to the heavy silt to prevent projects from damage.

The state discom-Hpsebl - has cut power supply to the industrial consumers and other places from last evening as the state was facing power shortage of 1000 MW, said managing director HPSEBL, JP Kalta.

"We have arranged 600 MW from different sources to meet the demand of the state's domestic consumers, but we have to resort to power cut to the industrial consumers as we still face shortage of 400 MW,” he said.

According to SJVNL sources, the silt level in the Sutlej shot up from 30,000 to 60,000 at midnight particle per minute from 6 pm as there were a flash flood in the upper region between Nathpa and Baspa valley due to heavy rains there for the last 48 hours.

System chief engineer HBSEBL Sunil Grover told The Tribune that 1000 MW Karcham Wangtu project was running.

It appears that the flash flood took place in the region between Nathpa and Baspa, not in the region above Karcham, the dam site of the project, he said.

Grover said the Bhabha and Baspa were also shut down due to high-silt level in the Baspa and Bhawa rivers, both tributaries of the Sutlej.

Himachal needs about 1300 MW to 1500 MW power every day.

"The silt level at 9 am has come down 10000 ppm and power situation is expected to be normal by noon today when  power projects will resume production ,” Grover said.

He said SJVNL needs below 5000 ppm silt level to run the power house while other projects need even lesser level of silt, he added.