The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) is planning to set up a small hydro-electric project at Anakkayam in Thrissur district under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) concept.
The project is conceived as a tail race scheme of the existing Sholayar power station, utilising the water flowing after generating power from the latter without the need of any additional storage facilities or submergence of land.
Environmental impact
The project, with an installed capacity of 7.5 megawatts, is projected to cost Rs 77.5 crore.
The Forest Department has allotted eight hectares for implementing the project, and, it is pointed out that since it is a tail race scheme, the environmental impact is minimal.
The land will be used for accommodating different project components and allied works.
Long-pending
The proposal has a long history with the first project report having been prepared in 1986.
It later received the techno-economic clearance from the Central Electricity Authority and environmental approval from the Ministry of Environment and Forest.
Subsequently, the State Government gave administrative sanction for the project in 1991.
Though the project was allotted to a private entity for captive generation the following year, it did not take off, and finally, a committee constituted by the KSEB in 2008 recommended taking up the project for implementation.
Spiralling Demand
It is pointed out the spiralling demand for power in the State has necessitated the setting up of the project without further delay.
The number of power consumers in the State went up by more than 48 per cent between 2000-01 and 2008-09, while the capacity addition during the period was less than 10 per cent.
The daily demand for power has now reached around 51 million units.
The peak demand is more than 2,850 megawatts, as against the average off-peak demand of 1,800 megawatts.
The Anakkayam project is scheduled to be commissioned within a period of 48 months.