Three years after commissioning Meenvallom as India’s first mini-hydroelectric power venture by a local-self government, the project, located in the Bharathapuzha river basin at Karimba near here, is being termed a success.
Since its launch on August 29, 2014, the project, controlled by the Palakkad district panchayat, could generate 1,84,74,400 units of power. The initiative has turned profitable with the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) buying each unit by paying ₹4.88 to the panchayat.
After deducting operational costs and expenses of periodic maintenance, the power project has generated profits of ₹6.5 crore in three years.
“The success of the project, started on an experimental basis, is now prompting us to commission three more mini and micro-hydel projects. Though the poor flow during peak summer days disrupted the power generation at Meenvallom, the generation has been good during monsoon days,” said district panchayat president K. Santhakumary.
She said the work on the second mini-hydel project of the panchayat was fast progressing close to the Chindillam waterfalls at Palakuzhy, near Kizhakkanchery.
The Chindillam project would have a capacity to generate 1 MW of power. It is expected to generate 3.78 million units annually after commissioning, which is expected in two years.
The district panchayat has purchased 7 acres of private land for the project apart from securing 0.3 hectares of forestland.
The other proposed projects would be located at Koodam, near Agali, and Chempukatti, near Kottopadam, in Mannarkkad. The Attappady project would have an estimated generation capacity of 4.5 MW while the Mannarkkad project would have 6.5 MW.
Company floated
In Meenvallom, the panchayat is now planning a micro-hydroelectric project to utilise the tail race water to generate 8.4 million units of power.
To streamline its power generation initiatives, the district panchayat recently floated a company titled Palakkad Small Hydro Company Ltd.
“When the panchayat mooted the idea of power generation, many experts doubted the feasibility. Now experts from many foreign countries are visiting Meenvallom to study the project. It also helped the panchayat win the Bharat Ratna Rajiv Gandhi National Award for Best Local Body twice,” said Ms. Santhakumari.
The project was established by spending ₹11 crore.
