ANGUL: Power generation from the Rengali Hydroelectric Project in the district has stopped since Saturday due to a major technical snag. The fault was detected in unit 4 of the power plant but all five units were shut due to safety reasons.
As per official sources, the power plant was in operation on June 26 when suddenly the vacuum breaker valve of unit 4 went kaput. As a result, the river water started gushing into the turbine prompting authorities to shut down the entire plant. Unit 4 of the plant had reportedly undergone maintenance recently.
As of now, efforts are on by the authorities to repair the damaged valve and resume operations of the unit as soon as possible. Officials of Odisha Hydro Power Corporation Ltd (OHPCL), which executes the Rengali Project, rushed to the power plant to monitor the situation.
Director (Operations) of OHPCL Manoranjan Biswal directed authorities concerned to ensure immediate repair. Contacted, senior general manager of Rengali Hydroelectric Project Subhas Chandra Patra said,”The plant had to be shut down for safety reasons as water was gushing into the turbine of the unit. We have started repairing the damaged valve on war footing. The plant is expected to operate within the next two days.” Set up to generate power from river Brahmani here, the 250 MW Rengali Hydroelectric plant produces 150 MV power daily, all of which is evacuated to the State grid.