SUNDAY,
29 JULY 2012 18:18
PNS
N BHUBANESWAR
HITS:
45
·
·
·
The State Government is
seriously considering a proposal to adopt a pumped storage system to generate
more power from the Hirakud hydropower station.
“We are considering a proposal to use the Hirakud water again
and again to enhance the generation from the hydel plant,” said Minister of
Energy Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak. This would solve the problem of generating power
when there is a deficit of water in the Hirakud Dam reservoir, he said.
At a pumped storage hydropower plant, the flowing water is used
to make electricity and then stored in a lower pool. Depending on how much
electricity is required, the water may be pumped back to the reservoir.
Pumping water to the reservoir requires electricity; so, hydro
plants usually use pumped storage system only when there is peak demand for
power. Many generating companies in the US use this method to generate
power to meet the peak hour demands.
“The water would be pumped back to the reservoir to generate
power to meet the peak hour demands,” said GRIDCO Director (Commercial) SK
Pradhan. Explaining the economics of the system, he said the water would be
pumped back during the non-peak hour when the power cost is Rs 3 per unit. But
the generation during the peak hour would entail Rs 8 to 10 per unit.
This way the State can be saved from drawing high-cost power
from the national grid during the peak hours, he said, adding that under a
normal condition the State can also earn profit by exporting this power during
the peak hours.
The Hirakud hydropower station, which has seven units, has an
installed capacity of 275.5 MW. However, since the reservoir serves as a source
for irrigation and industrial use besides drinking purposes, power generation
gets the least priority. As such, the water carrying capacity of the dam has
decreased over the years because of silting.
Now the erratic monsoon and the interception of water in the
upper-end by the dams erected in Chhattisgarh have reduced the flow of water
into the reservoir. This has led to a low power generation from the hydel
station, particularly during the summer when the demand for power is too high.
The pumped storage hydropower generation system would definitely ease the peak-hour
power deficit problem during summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment