GERUSOPPA: Even as the people’s movement gathers pace against the proposed Sharavathi Pumped Storage Power Plant (SPSPP), Energy Minister KJ George’s recent statement that the SPSPP will be implemented with least damage to the forest is perhaps an assertion that the project will come up despite people’s opposition.
It’s not just locals who are opposing it, power pundits, researchers, environment activists and local politicians are also voicing their concerns about it. Greens say it will be an ecological disaster, power pundits say the project is not technically feasible; they suggest the state government should not be adamant about the project but explore alternatives.
Manjunath Hegde, an arecanut grower at Begodi village near Gerusoppa, is crestfallen as he has received an eviction notice to give up his property for the mega project. He has been living here for 60 years. Vinayak Subbaraya Hegde, another villager from Begodi, is facing a similar problem. Venkataramana Naik and Arpitha Maruthi Guruji are also among those who will be displaced.
But there is ambiguity -- while 200 families live here, only 40 families have got eviction notices. The 40 families have decided not to allow the project, and have the support of Maruthi Guruji, pontiff of Bangarmakki Mahasamsthan Mutt in Gerusoppa. He is leading the protests in Sagar and Gerusoppa.
“This project is not a new one. It was planned in the early 2000s. It has gathered pace only recently. We will not allow this at any cost. If the State government gets excavators, before digging the earth, they first have to roll over me,” said Maruthi Guruji.
The recent public hearing called by the Pollution Control Board to decide on the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) project witnessed strong opposition by the people. “It will be an ecological disaster and a threat to locals in every aspect.
It will destroy the pristine Western Ghats. People’s livelihoods are at stake and there will be a lot of demographic changes here,” said Akhilesh Chipli, an environmental activist. “They have permission and consent from 13 departments, but so far they have not shared the detailed project report,” he added.
Justice V Gopala Gowda, former Supreme Court judge, supporting the movement, says the project is in violation of laws and is also malafide use of power on part of the State government.
“This project is against public interest, it violates the Environment Protection Act, 1986, Forest Conservation Act, 1980, contrary to the Supreme Court order in the TN Godavarman Thirumalpad vs Union of India in 1996, which says no commercial activities can be taken up or permitted in the forest area.
The project does not have consent from the Pollution Control Board and is also in violation of Article 14 (deems all individuals are equal before law) and Article 21 (right to life and liberty of a person) of the Constitution of India,” he said.
A first-of-its-kind project: KPCL
The project was kept in abeyance since 2004, until recently. It is coming up in the Western Ghats at Talakalale in Shivamogga and Gerusoppa in Uttara Kannada district, across the river Sharavathi. KPCL cites grid stability and capacity addition as a reason for the project. The SPSPP is the first-of-its kind in the state where water from the tail-end at Gerusoppa will be pumped to the headrace at Talakalale dam to generate 2,000MW of power.
“The terms of reference to test the earth for feasibility has been issued earlier and has been renewed in 2023. The country has an installed capacity of 4,745MW and the Union government aims to increase it to 25,600MW by the end of 2032. In addition to SPSPP, we have a capacity of 12,000MW in the state,” said Vijay, Executive Engineer, KPCL.
KPCL will utilise 0.37tmcft of the total 200tmcft available in Gerusoppa reservoir, the tailrace of Sharavathi hydel power station, where water will be pumped to the Talakalale dam via a 7-km tunnel drilled beneath 8 mountains with a diameter of 9metres.
“At the headrace, two tunnels -- 9m in diameter, 2,030m and 2,397m long -- will be constructed and a Sur shaft (62.5ht, 20m diameter) will also come up here. Four pressure shafts with a height of 5.25m will be part of this. An access tunnel of 1,795m will be constructed at the tailrace, the D-shaped tunnel. The pumped storage will have 8 units of power station, each with 230MW capacity,” he said.
The project aims to pump water from Gerusoppa reservoir during periods when there is no demand during the day to generate power for peak load at night. Though the matter is pending before the Ministry for Environment and Forests (MoEF), KPCL has said that MoEF has communicated to it that there will be no quarry allocated for the massive project.
“We have conducted an Environment Impact Assessment of the project where we have done the soil test and other required tests such as metrological, seismological, air and water pollution tests and assured locals that it will safeguard the environment. We will use M-sand and stones by filtering the soil drilled for the tunnel,” he said.
KPCL plans to acquire 54.155 hectares of forest land and 88.608 hectares of farm land for the project at Talakalale, Nagarbastikere and Begodi villages, and plans to chop 16,041 trees. “But the DPR says more than one lakh trees,” says green activist Chipli.
Locals fear big demographic shift
KPCL has already allocated work tenders to a Hyderabad-based company, and plans to bring in 1,500 families of labourers from Bihar, which will be increased to 3,700 families.
“The entire population of Gerusoppa itself is not even 5,000. The arrival of people will change the demography of the region. What about the social and cultural security of Honnavar and Uttara Kannada,” asks Maruthi Guruji, pontiff of Bangarmakki Mahasamsthan Mutt.
“The project site is a part of the Lion-Tailed Macaque (LTM) Sanctuary, where very few people are allowed to enter, as per the Wildlife Act and Forest Conservation Act. But here is a case where at least 12,000 people will be brought in under the pretext of Pumped Storage Project Construction. Is KPCL sure there will be no pollution due to human intervention? What plans do they have to prevent poaching of endemic macaques and other wildlife,” he asks.
Shankar Sharma, a power expert from Shivamogga, said the pumped storage plant to operate from the lower reservoir to Talakalale requires 125 per cent more energy than it generates. They say they generate power when there is low demand by consuming more energy and generate at a lesser cost. This means the cost of power generation per unit is 125 per cent more than consumption. Why do you want such a project, he questioned.
A former chief engineer with KPTCL said the Linganamakki hydel project is generating power at a cost of 30paise per unit. “But energy generated through pumped storage will be sold to consumers at a rate of Rs 5.12 per unit. It will not be cheap power as claimed by KPCL,” he said.
Sharma said the existing 220KV power transmission lines which evacuate 220MW will not bear the 2,000MW generated through pumped storage power plants. “They need an additional 65 hectares of forest land for transmission. They need to upgrade the existing transmission and power line,” he said.
“Experts have suggested that KPCL immediately drops the project and goes for heavy battery storage capacities where solar energy generated, using solar panels, can be stored and supplied. There is a lot of potential to generate solar energy, particularly in Kalyana Karnataka region,” said Shankar Sharma.
