Shimla, July 27 (IANS) The country’s largest hydropower plant in Himachal Pradesh remained shut for the second day Tuesday, disrupting power supply to northern states, including Delhi.
‘The 1,500-MW hydropower plant was temporarily closed yesterday (Monday) as the silt content in the river (on which the project is located) suddenly rose more than the permissible limit. The generation was stopped as the high silt could hit the turbines,’ Vijay Verma, deputy general manager of the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVNL) told IANS.
The company runs the Nathpa Jhakri hydropower project in Kinnaur district.
He said even Tuesday the silt content was more than 14,000 ppm (part per million) against the permissible limit of 4,000 and 5,000 ppm.
This was the season’s third closure of the plant. Earlier, it was closed for a day June 24 and July 19.
‘The (power) generation is likely to resume Wednesday,’ he added.
SJVNL, a joint venture between the centre and the state government, generates daily about 38 million units, which are supplied to Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The halt in power generation is causing a daily loss of Rs.9 crore to project authorities.
