With a clutch of big hydroelectric power projects in the pipeline, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has put together a comprehensive standard operating procedure (SoP) for undertaking the investigations necessary for their construction.
Technical hurdles faced in the development of some of its hydel projects and the spectre of geological accidents prompted it to adopt the SoP, according to the KSEB.
The ‘Guidelines for geological and geotechnical investigations of hydroelectric projects,’ a 38-page document, was found necessary against the backdrop of “adverse experiences in some of the projects undertaken by the KSEB like the Sengulam Augmentation Scheme and also in the light of the Joshimath disaster (January 2023) and various tunnel collapses,” the State-run power utility notes.
