A grim scenario on the power front

May 05, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 07:23 am IST - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

: The crisis triggered by a leak at a penstock pipe at Sabarigiri is being cited as a true reflection of the grim power scenario in the State.

The distribution schedule of the KSEB is likely to be affected at least for a week. Sources told The Hindu here that the KSEB was at present doing a tightrope walk and it did not have the leeway even to tackle a minor disruption.

If the board had adequate generation backup or alternative sources to bring power from other States, such restrictions could have been averted. But no major power generation projects have been initiated during the past one decade and work on transmission infrastructure development projects is limping.

While time and cost overruns have impeded the execution and commissioning of small hydroelectric projects, work on power corridors and transmission lines to evacuate power from other States continues to remain in limbo owing to a variety of reasons. This uncertainty has intensified the gravity of the crisis, sources said.

As many as 12 small hydroelectric projects were slated for execution in 2012-13, but only two could be completed within the deadline. Lack of a professional execution mechanism for effectively addressing the cost and time overruns had affected the completion of the small projects, sources said.

Work on the 400-kV transmission lines between Mylatti in Kasaragod and Karnataka, Areacode and Mysore, and Edamon and Kochi has been dragging on since 2010. No decision has been made on a 300-MW power corridor sanctioned by Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL). Had there been meaningful governmental interventions in clearing the glitches, snags like the one at Sabarigiri would not have had no impact on the distribution system, the sources said.

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