PALAKKAD: The revenue from the 3 MW Meenvallam mini-hydel project, set up in Karimba panchayat by Palakkad district panchayat has touched `3.24 crore. The project was first in the country to be implemented by a local body.
District panchayat T N Kandamuthan said that the power was sold at `4.88 per unit to the KSEB. The project, commissioned in June 2014, has so far produced 66.34 lakh units.
The Meenvallam mini-hydel scheme was implemented by the Palakkad Small Hydro company, registered under the Companies Act of 1956 on January 20,1999 at an outlay of `22 crore.
He said the success of the Meenvallam project, implemented by the LDF-ruled district panchayat, has prompted the State Government to entrust two more mini-hydel projects to the local body. The district panchayat will take up two mini-hydel projects -- the 4.5 MW Koodam hydro electric project in Agali and 6.5 MW mini-hydel project in Kottopadam.
He said that panchayat will soon prepare a detailed project report and will submit it to the Government.
Kandamuthan added the district panchayat, apart from the above two projects, has identified the Chindillam waterfalls in Palakuzhi of Kizhakkencherry panchayat to tap power, which would be able to generate 1 MW.
Chief Engineer E C Padmarajan said that a sum of `4 crore has been allotted from the plan fund of the district panchayat and 3.8 million units of power was expected to be generated.
The detailed project report (DPR) for the same was prepared in 1993 and was updated recently. It is expected to cost `11 crore and the panchayat is in the final stages of purchasing seven acres of private land and already received sanction for occupying 0.3 hectares of forest land in return for compensatory afforestation. The land already received no objection certificate from the Forest department.
Padmarajan said the Energy Management Centre (EMC) was entrusted with finding contractors for 63 mini-hydel schemes in the state. But there were no takers for the Koodam project in Agali, Attappadi and the Chembukatty project in Kottopadam. The Palakkad district panchayat then approached the EMC.
A sum of `15 lakh has to be deposited for each MW and the authorities approached Minister for Power Aryadan Mohammed for remitting the amount in 20 equal instalments and to be paid on quarterly-basis.