Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) kick-started excavation works for the hydroelectric power station pressure tunnels at the Polavaram project site on Friday.
The State government has expedited work on the crucial 960 MW hydropower plant in the Polavaram multipurpose project. The government is determined to deliver the fruits of the Polavaram project to the people of the State with a concrete plan to complete the project on time.
MEIL, in a press release, said that every year, 3,000 TMC of water from the Godavari goes waste into the sea. This is much higher than the water consumed in Andhra Pradesh. If this water is utilised, Andhra Pradesh has the potential to develop and move forward in all sectors. With this in view, the government has decided to build a hydroelectric power plant along with the Polavaram project. The Polavaram project will store 194 TMC of water once its construction is completed. Out of this, 120 TMC of water will be used for power generation and irrigation purposes.
The remaining 70 TMC of water will be stored and can be used for cultivation and drinking water needs of the people in the Godavari river basin, especially in the East and West Godavari and Krishna districts, MEIL said.
The Polavaram Hydroelectric Power Station is being built with a capacity of 960 MW of hydroelectric capacity. It will have 12 vertical Keplan turbines with a capacity of 80 MW each. For these, 12 pressure tunnels will have to be dug. Each tunnel will be 145 m long and nine metres deep. These will have 12 generator transformers, each with a capacity of 100 MW. For the power project, a 206 m-long approach channel, and 294 m wide, will have to be dug.