Thiruvananthapuram: KSEB Limited is keen to go ahead with big hydel projects like Athirappilly but the fact is, the public utility has not been able to commission even small ‘low-friction’ projects.
13 Small Hydro projects, which together would have contributed 180 MW to the state’s installed capacity or generated 545 million units, have been indefinitely delayed. The delay in completion of projects is more than one to three years.
Of the 13, most of which should have been completed before or by 2013, only three have completed more than 50 percent of the work (7.5 MW Vilangad project, 15 MW Barapole project and 60 MW Pallivasal project).
KSEB Limited has now sought generous extensions. For instance, KSEB wants the completion of the 24 MW Poringalkuthu, which should have been completed early in 2014, to be extended to 2017. In the case of at least seven of the projects, the delay has overshot even the revised completion target.
Failure of KSEBL in executing the small hydro projects in a professional manner is contributing to the power crisis in the state considerably. “It is well known that the dependence on costly energy can be reduced to some extent if the small hydro potential in the State is tapped on a war footing,” the Electricity Regulatory Commission has noted in its order.
Each year the KSEBL comes up with grand capital expenditure plans but ends up spending less than half the projected amount. The Commission has also stated that the reduction of actual investments in generation and transmission sectors over the years would have long term negative impact on the power sector of the state.
This year daily power consumption has virtually galloped. While the normal yearly growth is 7-8 percent, this summer the consumption has shot up by an unprecedented 15 percent. There wre times when daily consumption crossed 80 million units, an unheard of level.
