Copious flood helps record hydel generation this year

Over 2,023 MU of hydel energy generated in the first six months of this fiscal

From a situation of empty reservoirs even on the last day of July, most of the major reservoirs in Telangana except Singur and Nizamasagar, have received copious flood till September-end not only raising hopes of good agricultural season but also helping Telangana State Power Generation Corporation (TS-Genco) to achieve a record hydel generation with another six months left this year.

With another six months to go this financial year, the hydel generation in the State has already clocked highest-ever since formation of the State as TS-Genco has generated over 2,023 million units (MU) of energy from its hydel stations. According to officials of the power utility, they were able to commence hydel generation at Jurala project from July 18 itself this year to meet the energy demand against from August 31 last year as the reservoir has received more volume of water than its capacity of 9.66 tmc ft.

Started early

“Hydel generation at Jurala and Lower Jurala stations has been, however, going on almost uninterrupted, except for a couple of days in between, so far from July 30 and 31, respectively. Similarly, it commenced at Srisailam Left Bank power house from August 4 and going on uninterrupted since then as the flood had to be let downstream to fill Nagarjunasagar,” a TS-Genco official said adding that it was also taken up at Nagarjunasagar and Pulichintala by the third week of August.

TS-Genco has 11 hydel stations with a total installed capacity of about 2,442 MW, including two mini ones at Peddapalli (9.16 MW) and Palair (2 MW).

It also has two smaller hydel power stations at Singur (15 MW), Nizamsagar (10 MW) and Sriramsagar (36 MW).

The other generation stations — Jurala, Lower Jurala, Srisailam Left Bank, Nagarjunasagar, NS Left Canal and Pulichintala power houses — have capacities in the range of 60 MW to 900 MW.

Except for Singur, Nizamsagar and the two mini-hydel stations, generation has been taken up at all other stations as the inflows in Jurala, Srisailam, Nagarjunasagar and Pulichintala projects have been in huge volumes. The Genco officials explained that hydel generation in the previous years was 1,751.7 MU (2018-19), 1,519.2 MU (2017-18), 1,305.8 MU (2016-17) and 284.76 MU (2015-16) since formation of Telangana.