The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has decided to give priority to the implementation of the 800 MW Idukki Golden Jubilee Extension Scheme, a hydro project meant to enhance the capacity of the Idukki power project.
The decision, taken by the director board of the KSEB which met on September 30, comes in the wake of the State government saying ‘no’ to a KSEB joint venture with THDC India Ltd (THDCIL) for implementing a clutch of pumped storage projects.
Estimated to cost ₹2,669.67 crore, the Idukki extension scheme involves construction of a new 800 MW power station at Moolamattam which will complement the existing 780 MW facility. WAPCOS Ltd, the consultancy firm under the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, is presently carrying out studies and the detailed project report (DPR) is expected to be ready by March 2024, KSEB sources said.
WAPCOS had submitted the prefeasibility report on this scheme to the State government in 2021.
The KSEB director board has also decided to forge ahead with another big hydel project that is on the cards, the 240 MW Letchmi in Idukki district. The board has decided to prepare a DPR for it on (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) mode after securing the approval of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).
On the pumped storage front, the KSEB has decided to prepare DPRs on three projects after “examining feasibility and priority from the point of view of cost and time for execution.” On the list are the 700 MW Idukki project, the 600 MW Pallivasal project and a third project at Idmalayar.
The Kerala government had rejected an earlier proposal to implement pumped storage projects through THDCIL after complaints arose that the terms of the JV were not in the best interests of the State. In July this year, the government had decided that the KSEB should develop the projects on its own.
A system of storing potential energy, pumped storage hydropower involves two connected reservoirs at different elevations. In times of low power demand, water is pumped to the upper reservoir from the lower one using the surplus power. When the demand is high, the stored water is released downhill to generate electricity.
