Beas-Sutlej Power Complex
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY January 7, 1961 Letter from Punjab Beas-Sutlej Power Complex PUNJAB is threatened with acute Feeder during the winter months. is being installed at both Kotla and power shortage once again. The Construction of the dam will be Ganguwal. These units will he ready current flow in the Sutlej is so poor undertaken jointly by Rajasthan by March and June 1961 respectives that it is feared that if the Bhakra and Punjab and its irrigation be reservoir is not replenished in time, nefits will accrue mainly to the for its water level may soon fall below mer while Punjab will benefit chiefly But the much bigger power gene the penstock gates. This will put from the new power generated. A rating units are at Bhakra. The Left the newly-commissioned unit of the detailed project report for this unit Bank Power House, the first unit of Left Bank Power House out of has been prepared and the total which was commissioned in Novem action. A cut in power consumption cost is estimated at Rs 87 crores of ber last, will have five generating of 10 per cent has, therefore, been which Rajasthan will meet about units of S3 to 00 mW capacity imposed from mid-December. It is Rs. 70 crores. A sum of Rs 60 lakhs each, depending on the water level against this background of addi is expected to be spent during 1060- in the reservoir. All these units are tional power load continually out 61 on preliminary work. The third expected to be commissioned dur pacing additional power supply that- Plan includes an allocation of Rs ing 1961. Only four of them, how the proposed Beas Scheme has to 10.1 crores. including Rs 12.38 ever, will work at a lime and so the be viewed. crores in foreign exchange for this firm power capacity of the Power part of the project. It must he House will he 212 mW in all. The Beas project will consist of noted, however, that though tin- two units. The first of these, the The Right Bank Power House of third Plan contains a sizeable alto- Beas-Sutlej Link envisages the con the Bhakra Project is estimated to cation for both units of the project, struction of a darn at Pandoh in cost Rs. 26.4-3 crores of which Pun no benefits are likely to accrue during Kulu Valley to divert the waters of jab will contribute about Rs 21 this period. the river Beas to the Bhakra reser crores. During the third Plan a voir through tunnels and open con total of Rs. 21.11 crores will be Power from Bhakra duits. The 'link' will consist of the spent on it. with Punjab contribut 5-mile Pandoh-Suketi tunnel, the 14- The overall feasibility of the two- ing 18.71 crores. With the con mile Suketi Valley hydel channel unit Beas project has been estab struction of this Power House, the and, finally, the 9-mile Suketi-Dehar lished. But in view of the fact total cost of the Bhakra-Nangal tunnel. ft will have a natural fall that the Pong Dam lies in a seismic Project will come to Rs 196.43 of 1,000 feet at Debar where a area, the axis on which its founda crores of which Rs 96.66 crores will power plant will be installed. The tions will rest remains to be ascer be accounted for by power schemes. minimum flow through the 'link' tained. For this purpose a tunnel Initially four units of 70 to 120 mW will be 7,500 cusecs. except during is proposed to be dug below the capacity each will be installed and a the dry months .when il will be 1,800 river bed at Pong. The General fifth will be added later when the eusecs. The power plant at Dehar Manager of the Bhakra project has Beas-Sutlej "link' is completed. will supply about 600 mW of firm been given charge of the Beas pro Thermal and Diesel Units power. Further, the conduction of ject and so the transfer of men and The entire power complex can. Mink' will ease pressure on the equipment from Bhakra to the new however, be put out of gear if rain Gobind Sagar and therefore, make sites will be facilitated. The control fall is inadequate or late, Except possible additional power generation and supervision of the Beas project when rainfall is so poor that the al Bharka and extension of irrigation is likely to he entrusted to an auto water level in the reservoir falls be facilities to Southern Punjab. nomous hoard with representatives low the penstocks, the working head of the Central Government and the Long-term Project available at Bhakra will vary from two State Governments associated Preliminary work on this part of 268 feet in May-June to 512 feet with the project. The United States the Beas Scheme was scheduled to immediately after the monsoons in and the World Bank have offered begin in 1960-61 with an allocation October. Now, the same quantity of $33 million and $23 million res of Rs 50 lakhs. Out of the total water can generate more power if cost of Rs 80 crores, Rs 13.5 crores pectively as loans to meet the released from a higher head than (including Rs 7 crores in foreign foreign exchange costs of the pro from a lower head or, conversely, exchange) will be incurred during ject to venerate a given quantity of the third Plan. The Beas project will in due power more water has to be released The second part of the Beas pro course be dovetailed to the Bhakra from a lower head than from ject will cover a 325-feet high earth system to become one of the largest a higher one. Water level being and rock fill dam at Pong in Kangra power systems in the world. The high during October-November less District with a 'live' storage capa Bhakra system itself is made up of water will have to be. released to generate power. During this period, city of 5.55 million acre-feet and a two units—the Bhakra Dam proper however. more water has to be power house with a capacity of and the power stations on the Nan- released for Rabi sowing and so the 122 mW of firm power at 100 per gal Hydel channel at Kotla and advantage of the high water level cent load factor. Water stored in Ganguwal which have an installed for power generation may not be the dam will be released to the eapacitv of 48 mW each. An addi fully realised in practice. Rajasthan Canal and the Sirhind tional unit with a capacity of 20 mW 15 January 7, 1961 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY Apart from this difficulty, which tion of the power potential of the was 369,072 metric tons, according is characteristic of all Bhakra-type water falls in Upper Bari Doab and to the Indian Bureau of Mines. This multi-purpose projects in India, Western Jamuna Canals and the in represents an increase of about 9 per there is the further uncertainty stallation of thermal and diesel sets, about rainfall. However, it is pro discussed above, are expected to cent as compared to the output of posed to firm up Bhakra hydro- alleviate the power shortage in the 338,512 metric tons in the correspond power with thermal and diesel sets. State. ing period of the preceding year. A nucleus one-unit scheme with a The entire production was reported capacity of 50 mW is to be initiated Copper Ore Production near Delhi. Small diesel stations THE production of copper ore from Singhbhum district of Bihai with capacity up to 25 mW will be during January-October, 1960 State. set up at various load centres like Chandigarh, Sangrur, etc at a total cost of Rs 2 crores. Seasonal Load Variation in water level introduces the problem of developing adequate seasonal power load. Since, as mentioned above, water level in the Bhakra reservoir will vary from about 270 feet in May-June to about 510 feet in October, genera tion of secondary power above the firm capacity will be possible only for 6 to 8 months from October. Seasonal industries must,, therefore, be started to consume this second ary power which will not be avail able all through the year. Cane crushing, cotton ginning, and pro cessing of agricultural produce in general are some such industries. Load centres in Punjab are grow ing rapidly. Besides, Delhi which now consumes for 60 mW of Bhakra power, will take away another 40 mW of the power generated by the Right Bank Power House. At the same time all towns with a popula tion of 10,000 and over have been electrified. Finally, of the 20,000 villages in Punjab, 3,000 are to be electrified by the end of the second Plan and another 3,000 during the third Plan. As against this rapid growth im load, targets of increase in power generation are as follows: Installed Firm (in mW) First Plan 96 84 Second Plan 652 373 Third Plan 1229 680 The present power shortage may not be relieved till mid-1961 when the new units at Kotla and Gangu- wal are com missioned. Even this addition to capacity is likely to be soon outstripped by increase in load. Ultimately, Punjab can expect to have a sound power base only when the Right Bank Power House is commissioned by 1964-65. The Beas Scheme, as mentioned above, is a long-term project, In the mean time, extension of the old Uhl River (Jogindernagar) Scheme, exploita.