Delay in completing small hydo projects by Kerala State Electricity Borad

Thiruvananthapuram: Power consumers who have been subjected to a tariff hike have shown commendable thrift in consumption but the inefficiency of KSEB continues without let. 13 Small Hydro projects, which together would have contributed 180 MW to the state’s installed capacity or generated 545 million units, have been indefinitely delayed. The delay in completion of projects is more than one to three years.

Of the 13, most of which should have been completed before or by 2013, only three have completed more than 50 percent of the work (7.5 MW Vilangad project, 15 MW Barapole project and 60 MW Pallivasal project). KSEB Limited has now sought generous extensions. For instance, KSEB wants the completion of the 24 MW Poringalkuthu, which should have been completed early in 2014, to be extended to 2017. In the case of at least seven of the projects, the delay has overshot even the revised completion target.

Failure of KSEBL in executing the small hydro projects in a professional manner is contributing to the power crisis in the state considerably. “It is well known that the dependence on costly energy can be reduced to some extent if the small hydro potential in the State is tapped on a war footing,” the Electricity Regulatory Commission has noted in its latest order.

Each year the KSEB comes up with grand capital expenditure plans but ends up spending less than half the projected amount. The Commission has also stated that the reduction of actual investments in generation and transmission sectors over the years would have long term negative impact on the power sector of the state. At the same time, figures put out by KSEB itself demonstrate that there has been a reduction in consumption, helping KSEB’s cause, across segments. While the grown in consumption has come down from 8 to 5 percent in the case of domestic consumers, the growth was negative in the case of commercial, industrial and agriculture consumers.