Fire at Sharavathi hydroelectric station may hit power supply

The power situation in the state is likely to be affected following a fire accident at the Sharavathi hydroelectric plant near Jog Falls in Sagar taluk on Thursday.

The State’s power situation has already been hit with units seven and eight of the Raichur Thermal Power Station down due to water scarcity.

According to the dam authorities, the accident occurred around 4.30 pm when around 20 workers were busy generating  power in the second floor of the plant that contributes 23 percent of the power to the State.

Several cables caught fire due to a short circuit following the damaged power distribution lines. However, transformers, and machines are said to be safe as firefighting staff doused the flame in time and contained the damage.

The 20 workers who were trapped in the plant have reportedly been rescued. The Sharavathi generating station with 10 units, has an installed capacity of 1,035 MW a day and has been severely hit due to the fire accident.

K R Shivaji, Chief Engineer (Electrical), Sharavathi Hydro Electric Project, told Deccan Herald the fire severely damaged the plant with several cables burnt to ash.

The power distribution set-up has been severely hit and it would take more than a month to restart power generation in the plant. This is the first such incident at the plant since its inception in 1964.

The extent of loss will be known only in the morning since there is no power now, the official said.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the fire spread to the nearby forest region, late in the evening. Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, who is presently in Delhi, will be rushing to the accident spot on Friday morning.