ABB to help restart damaged Sharavathy power station unit

There could be some relief for the State on the power front as Swiss multinational Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) has agreed to provide help in resuming power generation at the fire-ravaged Sharavathy Generating Station (SGS).

Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) said that ABB, operating mainly in robotics and power and automation technology areas, has agreed to supply electrical equipment and dynamometers, which play a key role in measuring power output of an engine, on a temporary basis.

K R Shivaji, Chief Engineer (Electrical), Sharavathy Hydroelectric Project, told Deccan Herald, “To ensure that the state faces no power crisis during summer, we are going all out to restart power generation from March 18 by borrowing electrical equipment from ABB on a temporary basis. There may be a variation of 2 to 3 days and generation may start from March 20. Of the 10 units at SGS, we will start generation in the first unit initially and start the others in phases. Each unit generates around 100 MW of power.”

Clarifying that this was only a temporary measure, Shivaji said KPCL would invite tenders for the complete restoration of the SGS and ruled out any violation of procedures.   

The Sharavathy Generating Station came to halt after a massive fire in the unit on February 18. SGS has been considered the backbone of the State’s power generating arsenal, contributing 23% of the power generated in the State with an installed capacity of 1,035 MW. The unique feature of SGS is the establishment of 1,035 MW resource under one roof, with an annual yield of 5,000 MU. It had generated 261.5374 million units in the current financial year (till the fire accident) against the target of  5,341 mu.