THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kuttiyadi power project at Kakkayam has not been functioning in its full capacity of generating 225 MW owing to the damage caused to its generators following heavy rain and landslides.Only 75 MW power is generated from the project as of now.
Of the remaining 150 MW, 50MW will be generated within 10 to 15 days. Since the generators are under mud and soil, KSEB has to find out the damage caused to the generators only after removing mud and silt from the site.
“We are working round the clock to make the unit fully functional. Soon after the flood and landslides, we could start the functioning of generators to provide 75 MW of power,” a deputy chief engineer of KSEB told Express.“The board has to immediately conduct the repair and maintenance work as there will be a voltage fall in the northern region of the state following a shortage of 150 MW of power generated,” he added.
The board is yet to assess the monetary loss caused by the landslide. The loss can be estimated in two ways -- the generation loss and the expenses owing to the repair and maintenance of the generators.
“We are into damage control exercise. This is a prestigious project of the board and more than that, one of the main feeders to provide power for the northern parts of the state. We will be making the Kuttiyadi project fully functional within a few months,” KSEB chairman NS Pillai told Express.
As many as 43.54 lakh consumers were affected during the landslides and flood after several transmission lines broke and many generators and power lines were damaged. The board had to shut down 35 sub-stations and 12 power stations following heavy rain and landslides.
The Kuttiyadi augmentation project was also shut down for a day, but 75 MW power was generated from the project from the following day. The Mysuru-Areekode power line, which was commissioned in 2015, helped the KSEB tide over the crisis created in northern Kerala, as it has 500 MW capacity.