Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 15: As existing machinery has become obsolete and creating hurdles in generation of electricity up to its full capacity, the Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation is infusing new lease of life to 42 years old hydroelectric project at Laddan near Chenani in Udhampur district.
Inaugurated in 1971 by the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, this hydroelectric project remained under forced shutdown for three years because of damage to the 718-meter long diversion tunnel during the landslides in 2005. The project was again made operational by carrying out repair work at a cost of Rs 8 crore.
As no major focus was laid on the revamping of the project during the past several decades, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) de-graded the capacity of the project to 16 Mega Watts but due to obsolete machinery the project was not even generating electricity up to this capacity, official sources said.
As the project was slowly and slowly turning towards the permanent shut-down, the Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation decided to infuse fresh lease of life to the project and accordingly prepared a Detailed Project Report for its modernization by way of replacement of entire obsolete machinery and other paraphernalia, sources said.
The plan to revamp Chenani Hydroelectric Project has been framed in consultation with the Central Electricity Authority and the same has already been approved by the Board of Directors of Power Development Corporation, sources informed. “The modernization of project by way of installing new machinery would help in generation of electricity up to its full capacity and would be of considerable help in supplementing the efforts towards having adequate availability of power”, sources added.
The project has 5 turbine generators, which were supplied by Hungarian company—Ganzmavag at the time of construction of the project and all will be replaced by latest technology turbines, they said in response to another question.
About the source of funding for the modernization work, sources said, “new lease of life is being infused in the project a cost of Rs 35 crore. There will be part funding from Ministry of New and Renewable Energy headed by Dr Farooq Abdullah and rest of the expenditure would be borne by the Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation”.
Of the total Rs 35 crore, amount to the tune of Rs 29 crore will be spent on electro-mechanical works while as rest of the amount on the civil works, sources said, adding “the State Power Development Corporation is planning to complete the modernization work during the next financial year”.
Responding to another question, they disclosed that some works have already been going on while as exercise has been set in motion for design, engineering, manufacture, supply, erection, testing and commissioning of dual channel microprocessor based digital brushless excitation control system for replacement of existing excitation control of horizontal Francis Turbine Generator units besides retrofitting of numerical relays based protection system, metering and controls in the existing panels.
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