A second power house is in the offing in Idukki to increase the installed capacity of the Moolamattom Power House and thereby reducing power purchase for peak hour consumption.
A senior official of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) told The Hindu on Wednesday that it had to meet high cost by purchasing power through power-trading from outside sources. By increasing the installed capacity of the power house, dependence on outside sources during peak hours could be reduced.
The Idukki reservoir has been chosen for a second power house taking into consideration the high storage capacity. The power house has an installed capacity of 780 mw and the peak hour demand could be met.
The KSEB at present has to bear a high expense by purchasing power during peak hours. The State is having more domestic consumers and it is one reason for the high consumption during peak hours, especially in the evening and morning. The Idukki dam is mainly reserved for meeting the power demands during the summer season. It could be used for meeting the peak hour consumption by increasing the installed capacity.
The official said that a detailed project report (DPR) would be submitted soon. The official said the flood-like situation had also been taken into consideration for the proposal of a second power station. The Idukki dam shutters had to be opened in 2018 August floods resulting in large-scale devastation on the downstream area.
In addition, the KSEB had to release water which otherwise could have been utilised for power generation. The increased installed capacity will help in energy reserve and meeting a flood-like situation too, the official said.
The possibility of similar situation such as the opening of shutters could be limited by diverting the water for power production. Moreover, the age-old equipment at the power station which passed 40 years also made the need of new equipment a necessity, said the official.
Published - January 01, 2020 06:00 pm IST
