Express News Service
T’Puram, May 10
One more unit of the ‘crippled’ Sabarigiri hydro-electric project will be pressed into service by the mid-June, according to KSEB officials.
With this, the number of ‘healthy’ units in the 325 mw hydel project- state’s second largest-will go up to four. The six-unit project had to be shut down after a massive explosion in a generator room of the hydel project’s Moozhiyar power house killing three on May 17, 2008.
The Sabarigiri project had remained shut even when the State had limped through one of the worst power crises in recent times inviting much criticism against the government. However, KSEB officials said, putting the remaining two units back to work will take time. “The tender process only has been started for the repair of the other two units,” a KSEB official said. Meantime, a KSEB meeting on Monday will decide on the latest development where the state has lost 75 mw from the central pool on account of the Lok Sabha elections in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
KSEB chief engineer (systems and operations) had on Saturday received a missive stating that Central supply would be slashed by 75 mw for 15 days starting Sunday.
The reason given is that Tamil Nadu, which is going to polling booths on May 13, will need extra power to take care of security.
Karnataka too has lost 25 mw from the Central pool. With this, the Central supply to the state has gone down to around 825 mw, KSEB officials said. Kerala has been receiving only 900 mw a day from the Centre despite the approved share of 1041 mw.
Power purchase from outside too is a difficult prospect at present with more and more states lining up to buy power at any cost on account of the elections.
The daily peak load demand for the state is now around 2800 mw which hint at possible power restrictions.
With the summer heat showing no signs of abating, overall daily consumption in the state had touched a record 50.95 million units last Wednesday. With the lifting of all power restrictions, the KSEB is now banking on diligent power conservation to see the state through until the south-west monsoons set in by June.
