HYDERABAD: Realising that a huge expenditure is being incurred on power consumption for pumping of water from Godavari and Krishna, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) is contemplating to install solar power plants to generate 100 MW power at available vacant lands of the water board to reduce monthly power bills. HMWS&SB has written a letter on this to the state to approve the proposal for installing the solar power plants in vacant lands at various water reservoirs, water treatment plants (WTPs) and pumping stations at Singur, Manjira Phase-I, II, III & IV, Krishna Phase-I, II, III, Godavari Phase-I, Himayathsagar and Osmansagar.
This is because there is huge scope for generating 100-MW solar power on vacant lands. If approved, the various vacant lands located at source locations , where there is scope for generating 300 MW solar energy, can be leased out to interested companies after proving their track record. Also, available is a parallel scope for generating more efficient solar power by installing floating solar panels on water surfaces of Hlimayatsagar and Osmansagar.
This arrangement can reduce water evaporation losses to a major extent. HMWS&SB officials said a feasibility study report on the same was received from M/s Zenith Energy. The study is aimed installations of solar power plants at various source locations. As per the study report received from the agency, the cost for setting up of 100 MW (DC) Solar PV Project is estimated at `450 crore. For pumping drinking water from Godavari and Krishna to the households of Greater Hyderabad, HMWS&SB is consuming 10.5 crore power consumption units and is alone incurring an expenditure of `70 crore as power consumption charges per month.
The existing major water supply distribution network depends on pumping enabled through the existing HT, LT 3 installations. These were built over the period with the extension of water supply network in order to facilitate distribution of water supply in GHMC limits.