Power generation back to over 90% level in Himachal

Tribune News Service

Subhash Rajta

Shimla, August 7

Power generation is again back to the over 90 per cent level in the state. Due to heavy rain in the second week of July and subsequent flooding of rivers and rivulets, power generation had dropped to just 10 per cent of the total installed capacity. Most of the power stations had shut operations due to heavy silt and a threat to their equipment.

Had dropped to 10% of installed capacity

• Due to heavy rain in the second week of July and subsequent flooding of rivers and rivulets, power generation had dropped to just 10 per cent of the total installed capacity
• Most of the power stations had shut operations due to heavy silt ingress and a threat to their equipment
• The 126 MW Larji power project suffered massive damage after it was flooded by the Beas, while the gates of the Malana-II project got stuck

“The state has again registered power generation of over 90 per cent. Barring a few projects, most of the power stations have started operating at their optimum level,” said Rajeev Sharma, Secretary, Power, here today. “However, the Larji and Malana-II power projects are yet to be restored. While de-silting and cleaning of the Larji project has started, efforts are on to restore the Malana-II project as well,” he added.

The 126 MW Larji power project suffered massive damage after it was flooded by the Beas, while the gates of the Malana-II project got stuck. According to an official of the Himachal Pradesh State Load Dispatch Centre, the power station at the Malana-II project was now functional, but one of the transmission lines was not operational yet.

Sharma said that the state as well as Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) had suffered significant losses due to a massive drop in power generation following heavy rein. “The state lost 12 per cent free power that it gets as royalty from various projects, and the HPSEBL had to purchase electricity from other states to meet demand,” he added.

Sharma said, “Almost all run-of-the-river projects had to shut power generation for some time due to heavy silt ingress. We had just the BBMB, Kol Dam and Chamera projects working at one point of time.”

Besides generation, the distribution system has also taken a major hit with around 5,000 transformers and high tension lines and poles severely damaged. The electricity infrastructure has suffered damage to the tune of over 1,500 crore.

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