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Major power plant shutdown hits several states
A major power crisis has gripped several northern Indian states after a key power plant was shut down following an increase in silt level in river water.
- IANS
- Published: 00:03 June 13, 2008
Shimla: A major power crisis has gripped several northern Indian states after a key power plant was shut down following an increase in silt level in river water.
The silt level in the Sutlej river on which the 1,500MW Nathpa Jhakri hydel power project is located increased beyond the permissible limit of 7,500ppm (parts per million), forcing the authorities to suspend power generation, Vijay Verma, the project's deputy general manager, said yesterday.
It was the first time the plant in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh was being closed during this monsoon season. Heavy rain in the catchment of the project has led to an increase in the silt level in the river. Normally, the silt level increases only by the end of June.
"We had no option but to close down the plant on Wednesday as the heavy silt content causes extensive damage to the turbines. The closure is likely to continue for a few more days until the level of silt comes down," he said.
The project has been generating about 38 million units daily. Punjab gets 114 MW power from the project, Haryana 64MW, Chandigarh 8MW, Himachal Pradesh 547MW, Delhi 142MW, Jammu and Kashmir 105MW, Rajasthan 112MW, Uttar Pradesh 225MW and Uttarakhand 38MW. Daily power cuts lasting two to three hours daily have been imposed on domestic and commercial consumers, Punjab State Electricity Board chairman Y.S. Ratra said. Punjab has already been facing power shortage after it lost 100MW of power it was getting from Jammu and Kashmir under a banking scheme.
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