The AP-Genco plans to undertake a capital overhaul of one of the seven units of the Srisailam Right Bank Power House (SRBPH) of 110-MW capacity each.
It involves opening up the whole unit, comprising a turbine, a generator and connected equipment, and undertaking necessary repairs to keep it in good condition.
If things go well, the overhauling will begin with one unit in December, and is likely to cover other units later.
“It is a matter of pride that the SRBPH has been running successfully for over four decades. It had achieved an all-time annual generation of 3,798 MU in 1993-94 when it catered to the combined State of Andhra Pradesh.”K. VijayanandSpecial Chief Secretary (Energy)
Speaking about it to The Hindu, Special Chief Secretary (Energy) K. Vijayanand said a decision had been taken to start overhauling the units towards the year-end, while pointing out that the first unit was the oldest one commissioned on August 30, 1982. The last (No.7) unit was made operational on March 15, 1987.
He said it was a matter of pride that the SRBPH had been running successfully for over four decades, and it achieved an all-time annual generation of 3,798 Million Units (MU) in 1993-94 when it catered to the combined State of Andhra Pradesh. The single-day highest generation was 19.13 MU on September 9, 2009.
Meanwhile, in an interaction during a recent visit to the plant by this correspondent, SRBPH Chief Engineer K. Sudheer Babu said, while the capital overhaul of a unit would normally take up to three months, it was targeted to finish it in about a month or so.
A complete overhaul of all the units was last done over a period of three years ending in 2006.
After the left bank power house came into existence in 2001-02 (allocated to Telangana after bifurcation), the SRBPH’s highest generation of 2,190 MU was recorded in 2007-08.
At present, SRBPH contributes roughly 2,900 MU to the grid every year. During the peak floods in the Krishna river, SRBPH generates about 18 MU per day. The submergence of the project due to heavy floods in 1998 and 2009 was unforgettable.
The Srisailam dam was constructed as a part of the Srisailam Hydro Electric Project, and it is first meeting the irrigation requirements in both Andhra PrRadesh and Telangana.
