VISAKHAPATNAM: Due to copious rainfall in the catchment areas, almost all water sources on the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) and all hydel projects are functioning. On an average, around 8 MW of electricity is being generated added to the AP GENCO Grid. From Jolaput dam to Lower Sileru-Motugudem to the Sabari rivulet, all reservoirs have reached maximum storage capacity level and flood gates of all projects were opened to discharge excess water to the downstream.
The AP GENCO and the Water Resources Ministry authorities are on cloud nine as the reservoirs may serve the water needs of the next year too without any difficulty. Odisha water regulatory authorities, along with their Andhra Pradesh counterparts, reviewed the flood situation at all AOB reservoirs and gave directions to the field-level staff.
As the floodwater is flowing from the catchment areas, the authorities are releasing around 5,000 cusecs of water to the downstream from the Jolaput dam from the floodgates. Subsequently, as the lower Balimela dam is receiving the floodwater and additional water from its catchment area, the authorities opened floodgates of the reservoir to release 16,000 cusecs of water to the downstream.
As this water is reaching Upper Sileru reservoir, the AP GENCO authorities are utilising around 7,500 cusecs of floodwater for power generation through the four generation units and the rest of 8,500 cusecs is released to the downstream through the spill-way gates. The water reaches the Lower Sileru reservoir through the Donkarayi project. The AP GENCO authorities are utilising another 5,000 cusecs for power generation and the rest of the water reaches Mothugudem project where power is generated. Finally, around 14,000 cusecs of excess floodwater is flowing into the Sabari river.
Since August 15, around 8,000 cusecs of excess floodwater is being released to the downstream from Donkarayi and Mothugudem projects daily. The AP GENCO is generating about 725 MW power a day through the four generating units at Upper Sileru, one power generation unit at Donkarayi and another four generation units at Lower Sileru project.
“Normally, we used to generate about 3.4 to 3.5 MW a day during the monsoon season. But, due to heavy rain in the catchment areas, excess floodwater is flowing into the reservoirs. We are able to double the power generation and we hope the trend will continue for some more days,” VL Ramesh, EE of Sileru GENCO, told TNIE. As rainfall is continuing in the catchment areas since Friday evening, Odisha and AP Water Resources and Electricity Generation department officials were alerted.