Last year, Kerala consumed 29,994 MUs (million units) of power of which 23,298 MUs were purchased from other states, after spending a whopping Rs 13,420 crore. We have to develop our own electricity generation projects to tide over the crisis.
Kerala’s total generation capacity is 3,970 MW, consisting of 2,200 MW hydel, 700 MW thermal, 70 MW wind mills and 1,000 MW solar power. The major challenge is many of these sources are becoming scarce during the summer season from March 1 to May 31 and also during the peak load timing of 6pm to 2am.
Kerala is experiencing a meteoric increase in consumption pattern due to rising living standards and the effects of global warming. Usage of e-vehicles, air conditioners and electric cooking ranges are increasing. The peak load this summer was 5,800 MW and 110 MUs in a day. The prediction for 2030 is 10,000 MW and 200 MU. Thus the second challenge is to meet this peak load demand during summer. Four solutions are available before us: Pumped storage plants, small hydroelectric power, road-top solar plants and thermal plants.
Pumped storage plants
Four pumped storage plants are under active consideration, Idukki (700 MW), Pallivasal (600 MW), Muthirapuzha (100 MW), and Manjappara (30 MW). Nine more locations have been identified in the state as suitable for PSPs. The working principle of the PSPs is, the tail race water after power generation in a hydel plant is pumped back to a reservoir. This water will be exclusively used for generating more power during peak load period only. If we take immediate action, we can increase generation capacity by 1,000 MW in the next six years through this route. The economic justification for PSPs is that during the peak load period, the price of current purchased is above Rs 10 per unit.
Small hydroelectric plants
Hydel plants with a capacity between 2 MW and 25 MW are grouped under this category. Basically, such power plants need only check dams or barrages, not dams and reservoirs. Hence their environmental impact is minimal unlike the controversial 163 MW Athirappilly project. Our state has been lagging in this sector for years.
During the last 14 years, only 99 MW generation capacity was added, while 126 such projects with an aggregate capacity of 777 MW remain stalled, the oldest of them being the 3 MW Wanchiyam SHEP in Kannur, the construction of which began in 1993. If the government releases some of these projects to district panchayats, or district co-operative banks, a lot of capacity can be added. We have a successful model with Meenvallom SHEP of 3 MW which was allotted to the Palakkad district panchayat and completed in time. The remaining SHEPs could be allocated to private entrepreneurs in Kerala to augment production. If such corrective actions are taken, 500 MW generation capacity can be added in the next six years.
Road-top solar plants
The NH-66 widening is on from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram. It has six lanes and covers an area of approximately 12,500 acres. Solar panels spread out over two and a half acres can generate 1 MW. If we can install solar panels above NH-66, there is a generation potential of 5,000 MW. Since there are many rivers and other constraints, we could reduce the above estimated power to, say, 4000MW. The panels can be installed at a height of 7 m above road level so that traffic will not be affected. The proposal suits our state as land area is scarce here. Since installation provisions may have to be provided as inserts and embedments on the road now itself, the authorities have to move forward immediately on this proposal.
Thermal plant
We need to establish a nuclear plant or thermal plant of 2,000 MW capacity to meet the base load needs of the state. Due to land scarcity and environmental related issues, we could not construct them earlier. The practical way ahead is to build a thermal plant near coal mines. We could opt for states like Odisha, Chattisgarh or Jharkhand to establish our own thermal plant. The power generated and supplied to the national grid there can be taken here as per the CPP model.
So, the generation scenario in a nutshell is: Present generation capacity in Kerala is at 4,000 MW. In the next six years, the following additions can be made from pumped storage plants (1,000 MW), small hydroelectric projects (500 MW), road-top solar plants (4,000 MW), other state thermal plants (2,000 MW). Thus, the targeted generation capacity for 2030 will be 11,500 MW, the projected consumption being 10,000 MW.
(The author is former project manager of Pallivasal project)