Narmada Nigam to start power generation from August 15

Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL) is all set to start power generation from August 15. The chief minister Narendra Modi visited the power generation unit on Saturday. The plant will produce 50 mega watts.

"The height of the dam has already been increased to 110.64 metres and with this height, we are able to generate power of around 40 per cent of the 1,450 MW of capacity. When the height of the dam will be increased to 121 metres in June next year, we will be able to generate over 80 per cent of the 1450 MW capacity and finally in June 2006, when the height of the dam will be increased to over 138 metres, we will be able to generate 1450 MW," S K Mohapatra, managing director, Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL), said.

Transmission lines have already been laid from the dam site at Kevadia Colony where the canal head power house (CHPH) and the river bed power house (RBPH) are located. The CHPH has been ready since June 1998 and five turbine generating units of 50 MW capacity each are operational.

The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to commission the first unit of the RBPH on August 15. There are six units in the RBPH, each capable of generating 200 MW.

Thus, while the CHPH will generate 250 MW, when complete in about 18 months from now, the RPBH will be able to generate 1200 MW and in total RPBH and CHPH will generate 1450 MW.

While transmission lines have been laid to supply electricity generated at the dam site to the Gujarat Electricity Board grid, the rate at which electricity will be sold to the board has not been finalised yet.

The level of 110.64 metres of the SSP is the turning point of the project as this is the level from where hydro power generation will start. Water will flow into the canal system.

Water flow into the canal system is at present made possible through an interim arrangement of the irrigation bypass tunnel (IBPT).

When the dam height was increased to 110.64 metres just before the monsoons, there was an increase of 11,000 lakh cubic metres of water in the dam.

The storage capacity, which stood at 26,000 lakh cubic metres when the height was 100 metres, was increased to 37,000 lakh cubic metres when the height reached 110.64 metres.