Himachal's hydropower generation slows down due to chill

The setting in of chill and freezing of glaciers and water bodies in the higher reaches have dipped Himachal Pradesh's hydropower generation, affecting electricity supplies to north Indian states.

Officials said the generation has declined 40-50 percent this month and it will come down by 80 percent by December-end.

'Against the normal generation of 36 million units daily, the generation these days is 16.5 million units,' V.K. Verma, deputy general manager, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd that operates the 1,500 MW Nathpa-Jhakri project in Kinnaur district.

He said the flow in the Satluj river, on which the project is located, has reduced drastically.

The river discharge is around 177 cubic metres per second against 1,300 cubic metres a second in August, Verma said, adding that 'in the next few weeks, the generation will be only 20 percent of the total generation'.

Hydroelectric power generation in the state increases in summer, whereas it comes down to just 20 percent of capacity during winter (from December to March).

The state-run Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd has 21 hydropower projects across the state with a combined optimum generation capacity of 8.5 million energy units a day.

Now all the projects are generating 40 to 50 percent power depending upon the altitude the project is located.

T.C. Negi, chief engineer of the state-run 126 MW Larji hydropower project near Kullu town, said the project is generating 2 million units daily against the optimum generation of 3 million units.

'This year the generation during the peak season (from May to August) was bountiful due to good rainfall and less breakdown of (generating) machines. Now when the generation dips, the emphasis is on maintenance of turbines and other civil works,' he said.

Private hydropower major Jaypee Karcham Hydro Corp Ltd's 1,000 MW Karcham Wangtoo Hydroelectric Project and 300 MW Baspa Hydropower project, all located in Kinnaur district, are functioning at 50 percent.

Kanti Prasad, senior vice-president of Jaypee Group, said the Karcham project is currently generating 8.5 million units against the normal generation capacity of 16 million units.

Likewise, the company's 300 MW Baspa Hydropower project, located upstream of the Karcham project, is generating 2 to 2.5 million units against 7.2 million units.

Hydropower experts said this time, unseasonal spells of snow from August onwards have frozen the water channels and slowed down the process of melting of glaciers.