Neerakatte hydel power project incurs Rs 15 cr loss

Neerakatte Sagar Power Hydel Power Project that had suffered damages during the previous monsoon failed to generate electricity during the current monsoon and has incurred a total loss of Rs 15 crore as a result.

When the water level in River Nethravathi increased drastically on August 8 and 9 in 2019, water had entered inside the power project and damaged the machinery. The power supply since then had remained suspended.

The power project was producing 200-megawatt electricity daily. The electricity was generated normally for six to seven months from June and was supplied to a substation in Guruvayanakere.

With the machinery remaining idle, the project did not generate electric power resulting in a loss of Rs 7 crore. It took over two months to clear the silt deposited inside the power project site due to the previous year's flood. As all the machinery was damaged, the project had incurred a total loss of Rs 8 crore. The power project has 16 staff members including three engineers.

Sagar Power Project manager Mohandas Rai said, "The machinery was repaired and is being tested now. There is enough inflow of water in the river. We could have generated electricity. But due to the delay in the release of insurance money from the government, there is uncertainty about the electricity generation during this monsoon."