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Hydropower in Tamilnadu
Tamil Nadu (the Lands of Tamils or Tamil Country) is the southernmost part of Indian Peninsula. It is bordered by union territory of Pondicherry and States of Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It is bounded by Eastern Ghats on north; by Nilgiri Hills, Anamalai Hills and Kerala on west; by Bay of Bengal in east; by Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait on southeast and by Indian Ocean on south. It has country’s second longest coastline of about 1,076 km in length. It Shares a maritime border with Sri Lanka. Chennai (formerly known as Madras) is the State Headquarters.
Tamil Nadu is the eleventh largest state in India by area and the sixth most populous one. It has a Population of 7,21,47,030 as per Census 2011, and covers an area of 1,30,058 sq.km. Its 48.4 % population lives in urban areas. It is divided into 32 districts. According to Human Development index in 2011, Tamil Nadu ranked sixth among Indian States and is second-largest State economy.
Western, southern and north-western parts are hilly and rich in vegetation. Western and Eastern Ghats meet at Nilgiri hills. Western Ghats traverse the entire western border with Kerala, effectively blocking much of rain bearing clouds of south west monsoon from entering State.
Tamil Nadu is mostly dependent on monsoon rains and thereby is prone to droughts when monsoons fail. It has two distinct periods of rainfall: south-west monsoon from June to September with strong southwest winds and north-east monsoon from October to December with dominant north east winds. Annual rainfall of the State is about 945 mm of which 48% is through north-east monsoon and 32% through south-west monsoon.
About 28 Dams have been constructed in Nilgiri Hills for impounding, diverting and regulating the water Resources for Hydro Power generation. Nilgiri Plateau is the meeting point of Western and Eastern Ghats. Famous Madumalai Wild Life Sanctuary is in these hills. Kundah forested hills are in broad valley surrounded by steep sided hill ranges/ basin. Whole of this Kundah basin has a number of reservoirs like Mukurthi, Pykara, Parson’s Valley, Emarald, Upper Bhavani etc.
Anamalai forested hills lie in southern portion of Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. These are in continuation of Western Ghats and have a good amount of annual rainfall of more than 250 cm. Nature has endowed Anamalai Hills with a rich hydro power potential.
This ARTICLE deals with State level power organisations, power supply position, sources of electricity, major river systems, hydropower potential, hydropower projects in operation and renovation & modernisation of old generating units of hydro power Plants in Tamil Nadu.
State Level Power Organisations
Electricity Department, under Department of Power of Government of Madras was created in 1927 for dealing the matters related to power. Madras State Electricity Board was formed on 1st July 1957 in accordance to Electricity Supply Act of 1948 as successor of Electricity Department. It was responsible for electricity generation, distribution and transmission. It also regulated electricity supply in Tamil Nadu. Later on this Board was renamed as Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB).
With effect on 1st November 2010, TNEB was re-organised in to Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO) (responsible for power generation and Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation Limited (TANTRANSCO) (responsible for power transmission) under section 131 of the Electricity Act of 2003.
Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) was established in 1999 under Electricity Regulation Commission Act, 1998 mainly to deal tariff related matters. Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA) acts as a nodal agency to State and Central government, promotes/ develops RENEWABLE ENERGY schemes, implements schemes sanctioned by State/Central Government, promotes energy conservation activities and encourages research and development on renewable sources of energy.
Tamil Nadu Electrical Inspectorate (TNEI) is under the control of Energy Department and is responsible for ensuring electrical safety in the State. It is also a nodal agency for Energy Efficiency and conservation. Tamil Nadu Power Finance and Infrastructure-2/”>INFRASTRUCTURE-development/”>Infrastructure Development Corporation (PowerFin) mobilizes funds for financing power and infrastructure projects. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) under MNRE provides funds for renewable energy projects.
Most of the hydropower development in Nilgiri Hills is covered by east-flowing rivers, namely Bhavani, Kundah and Moyar. Most of east flowing rivers have their origin in eastern slopes of Western Ghats and traverse their course through plains of Deccan Plateau and drain in to Bay of Bengal. Rivers are generally perennial with large variation in flows during monsoon and non-monsoon periods. Because of large variations in river flows, this basin is generally suitable for development of storage type schemes.
Bhavani river is the main tributary of Cauvery and joins it on right bank about 45 km below Metture reservoir. It rises in Salient Valley forests of Malabar (in Kerala) and after traversing in south-easterly direction, it swings round the hill and flows in north-eastern direction before entering in Tamil Nadu. It drains an area of 7,144 sq. Km and flows a distance of 216 km before joining Cauvery at Bhavani. Kundah and Moyar are its important tributaries. Pykara, Sandynallah, Melkodmund and Lone Valley streams are tributaries of Moyar river.
Pykara river rises on Mukurthi peak. After winding through the plateau for 24 km, it plunges down to plain in two falls and a series of cataracts making up in all a total drop of 914.4m in a few kilometres of length offering great potentialities of hydro power generation. Porthimund and Parson’s Valley streams are its tributaries.
Total hydro power development in Anamalai Hills is covered by seven rivers, namely, Nirar, Sholayar, Parambikulam, Thunnakavadu, Peruvaripallam, Aliyar and Oliyar. About 8 dams have been constructed in Anamalai Hills for impounding, diverting and regulating the Water Resources for hydro power generation and Irrigation.
Aliyar and Oliyar rivers flow on eastern side, while remaining five rivers flow on western side of Western Ghats. These rivers have their sources at various elevations ranging from 1158m to 320m. Advantage of the difference in elevations has been taken to generate hydro power by constructing dams across each of these rivers. Parambikulam river, which originates from and traverses Anamalai in Coimbatore district is a tributary of Chalakudi river (Kerala), which ultimately empties in to Arabian Sea.
Hydropower Potential And Status Of Development
In terms of installed capacity, the total hydro power potential identified for Tamil Nadu as per reassessment studies is 1918 MW including station capacity up to 25 MW and is 1693 MW excluding station installed capacity of 25 MW. All the conventional hydro power potential in Tamil Nadu has been harnessed.
Hydro Power Schemes In Operation
Pre-Independence Power Scenario
Tamil Nadu has been one of the earliest States in Indian Union, where water was utilized for power generation.
Until about 1908, hydro electricity generation in Madras State was confined to a few tiny hydro plants in tea estates utilising waters of mountain streams and to small hydroelectric installation of Kattery in Nilgiris. The first river tapped for power development by Government of Madras was Pykara in Nilgiri Hills (first 3 units of 6.65 MW each) in 1932 and 1933. Fourth and fifth units of 11 MW each of this plant were commissioned in 1939. Thus, pre-Independence hydro power capacity in Nilgiri Hills and hence in Madara State was 41.95 MW.
Post-Independence Power Scenarios
After Independence of India, hydro power capacities were added during various Five Year and Annual Plans in Tamil Nadu. At present total hydro installed capacity of Tamil Nadu is 2,283.55 MW, 2,212.20 MW from stations having individual station capacity over 25 MW and 71.35 MW from stations having individual station capacity up to 25 MW.
Tamil Nadu has developed almost all type of hydro power schemes: run off river & storage based schemes, surface and underground power houses, high head and low head plants, base load and peak load station, single and multi-purpose schemes, conventional and pumped storage schemes, cascade development, inter-basin transfer of water etc.
Major/ Medium Stations (Station Capacity over 25 MW)
There are 29 hydro power schemes having individual station capacity over 25 MW aggregating to an installed capacity of 2,212.2 MW in operation in Tamil Nadu as on 31.08.2016. These schemes include 28 conventional hydro power schemes aggregating to an installed capacity of 1,812.2 MW and one pumped storage scheme, namely Kadamparai PSS of 400 MW.
All hydro power stations in Tamil Nadu are conventional except, one station, viz. Kadamparai, which is pumped storage scheme having reversible generating units. This station adds valuable peaking power capacity to the grid and enables better utilization of thermal/ Nuclear Energy generation capacities in the State. In addition, it affords conventional energy generation of 77 MUs per annum on an Average.
In Generation Mode, machines of Kadamparai PSS operate to cater peak hour power demand for full load depending on level of Kadamparai reservoir and level of Upper Aliyar dam. In Pump Mode, machines of this station operate as pump mode to pump the water from upper Aliyar dam to Kadamparai reservoir during night hours on grid frequency above 49.4 Hz utilizing off peak energy.
Future Hydroelectric Schemes
As already has been stated, all economically viable hydro power potential in Tamil Nadu has been exploited. There is no conventional hydroelectric scheme under construction in Tamil Nadu. Also, there is no hydroelectric scheme in Tamil Nadu cleared by central Electricity Authority and yet to be taken for implementation. No hydroelectric scheme in Tamil Nadu is under examination in central Electricity Authority for accord of techno-economic clearance.
One pump storage scheme viz. Kundah of 500 MW envisaged for peak power generation was received in Central Electricity Authority. The same was examined and returned in December, 2007 for resubmission after resolution of inter-State aspect.
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Hydropower is a form of energy that harnesses the power of moving water to generate electricity. It is a renewable energy source that does not produce greenhouse gases.
Tamil Nadu is one of the leading states in India in terms of hydropower generation. The state has a number of major hydropower projects, including the Mullaperiyar Dam, the Periyar Dam, and the Shencottai Dam.
The Mullaperiyar Dam is a gravity dam located on the Periyar River in the Idukki district of Kerala. It is the largest dam in Kerala and the second largest dam in Tamil Nadu. The dam was built in 1895 and has a storage capacity of 136.32 million cubic meters. The dam generates 120 MW of electricity.
The Periyar Dam is a masonry dam located on the Periyar River in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu. It was built in 1930 and has a storage capacity of 102.5 million cubic meters. The dam generates 100 MW of electricity.
The Shencottai Dam is a masonry dam located on the Shencottai River in the Tenkasi district of Tamil Nadu. It was built in 1959 and has a storage capacity of 10.5 million cubic meters. The dam generates 20 MW of electricity.
Hydropower has a number of benefits. It is a renewable energy source that does not produce greenhouse gases. It is also a reliable Source Of Energy, as the water supply is relatively constant. Hydropower can also be used to store energy, which can be used to balance the grid during peak demand periods.
However, hydropower also has a number of challenges. One challenge is that it can have a negative impact on the Environment. Dams can disrupt the flow of rivers, which can impact fish and other aquatic life. Dams can also inundate land, which can displace people and wildlife.
Another challenge is that hydropower is a capital-intensive technology. Dams are expensive to build and maintain.
The future of hydropower in Tamil Nadu is uncertain. The State Government has plans to increase the state’s hydropower capacity, but there are a number of challenges that need to be addressed. These challenges include the environmental impact of dams, the cost of hydropower, and the availability of water.
Despite the challenges, hydropower has the potential to play a significant role in the future of Tamil Nadu’s energy mix. It is a renewable energy source that does not produce greenhouse gases. It is also a reliable source of energy that can be used to store energy. However, the environmental impact of dams, the cost of hydropower, and the availability of water are all challenges that need to be addressed before hydropower can be fully realized its potential in Tamil Nadu.
What is hydropower?
Hydropower is a form of energy that harnesses the power of moving water to generate electricity. It is a renewable energy source that does not produce greenhouse gases.
How does hydropower work?
Hydropower plants use a turbine to convert the kinetic energy of moving water into mechanical energy. The turbine then drives a Generator to produce electricity.
What are the benefits of hydropower?
Hydropower is a clean, renewable energy source that does not produce greenhouse gases. It is also a reliable source of energy, as water is always available.
What are the challenges of hydropower?
Hydropower plants can have a negative impact on the environment, as they can disrupt the flow of rivers and streams. They can also be expensive to build and maintain.
What is the future of hydropower?
Hydropower is a promising source of energy, as it is a clean, renewable, and reliable source of energy. However, there are challenges that need to be addressed, such as the environmental impact of hydropower plants.
What are some of the most common types of hydropower plants?
There are two main types of hydropower plants: run-of-river plants and impoundment plants. Run-of-river plants use the natural flow of a river to generate electricity, while impoundment plants create a reservoir behind a dam to store water and then release it to generate electricity.
What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of hydropower?
Advantages of hydropower include:
- It is a clean, renewable energy source.
- It does not produce greenhouse gases.
- It is a reliable source of energy.
Disadvantages of hydropower include:
- It can have a negative impact on the environment.
- It can be expensive to build and maintain.
- It can be disruptive to local communities.
What is the future of hydropower?
The future of hydropower is uncertain. Some experts believe that hydropower will continue to be a major source of energy in the future, while others believe that it will be replaced by other renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power.
What are some of the challenges facing the hydropower Industry?
The hydropower industry faces a number of challenges, including:
- The environmental impact of hydropower plants.
- The cost of building and maintaining hydropower plants.
- The competition from other renewable energy sources.
What are some of the solutions to the challenges facing the hydropower industry?
Some of the solutions to the challenges facing the hydropower industry include:
- Developing new technologies to reduce the environmental impact of hydropower plants.
- Finding ways to reduce the cost of building and maintaining hydropower plants.
- Promoting the use of hydropower as a clean, renewable energy source.
Which of the following is not a type of hydropower?
(A) Run-of-the-river
(B) Pumped storage
(C) Tidal
(D) GeothermalWhich of the following countries has the largest installed hydropower capacity?
(A) China
(B) Brazil
(C) Canada
(D) IndiaThe Hoover Dam is a(n) _____ hydropower plant.
(A) Run-of-the-river
(B) Pumped storage
(C) Tidal
(D) GeothermalThe Three Gorges Dam is a(n) _____ hydropower plant.
(A) Run-of-the-river
(B) Pumped storage
(C) Tidal
(D) GeothermalHydropower is a renewable energy source because
(A) it does not produce greenhouse gases
(B) it is a reliable source of energy
(C) it is a clean source of energy
(D) all of the aboveThe main environmental impact of hydropower is
(A) Water Pollution
(B) Air Pollution
(C) habitat loss
(D) seismic activityThe main social impact of hydropower is
(A) displacement of people
(B) loss of traditional livelihoods
(C) changes in water quality
(D) all of the aboveThe future of hydropower is
(A) bright, as it is a clean and renewable energy source
(B) uncertain, as there are concerns about its environmental and social impacts
(C) limited, as there are only a few places where it can be developed
(D) declining, as other renewable energy sources become more cost-competitiveThe following are some of the benefits of hydropower, except:
(A) It is a renewable energy source.
(B) It is a reliable source of energy.
(C) It is a clean source of energy.
(D) It is a source of EMPLOYMENT.The following are some of the challenges of hydropower, except:
(A) It can have a negative impact on the environment.
(B) It can be expensive to build and maintain.
(C) It can be disruptive to local communities.
(D) It is a source of greenhouse gas emissions.