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New Indian Express
29-04-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
KSEB to revive Athirappilly hydel project
KOCHI: Struggling to meet the peak-hour power shortage in the state, the KSEB has decided to revive the 163MW Athirappilly Hydro Electric Project which was put on hold a decade ago following protest from environmental activists and tribal community. According to an order issued by KSEB on April 24, the Centre for Environment Architecture and Human Settlements (C-Earth) had made a presentation on the development of tourism at Malankara dam, Idukki dam and Banasurasagar dam before top officials of the board on January 17, 2025. During the meeting, a proposal was made to modify Athirappilly power project as a tourism project and to prepare a master plan for development of amenities including tribal school, tribal hamlet and primary health centre. The proposal was presented by the Director (Generation) before the Director Board on March 8, and the meeting of full-time directors passed a resolution on March 19 to accord sanction to remodel the Athdirappilly project. The KSEB has appointed a chief engineer to study the proposal made by C-Earth. A meeting held at the KSEB headquarters on April 28 discussed the issue. KSEB Chairman Biju Prabhakar, in a statement, said the KSEB is conducting a viability study on implementing the Athirappilly hydel project as the first Integrated Tourism and Power Generation Project in the state. 'Water released after power generation will keep Athirappilly waterfalls alive' 'Based on the study, the KSEB will present the project before the Union and state governments. We are trying to explore the possibility of implementing the project by addressing the concerns raised. The aim of the study is to present the idea of implementing it through consensus with the support of all stakeholders,' he said. According to Biju Prabhakar, the KSEB has been forced to reconsider the project as Kerala is depending on other states to meet around 70% of the its power demands. While the peak-hour demand of the state is 5,800MW, it has been able to generate only 1,800MW from its hydel projects. Though the board receives around 1,500MW power from solar power projects, it is available only during day time and does not help meet the peak-hour demand. With the demand rising, the board is forced to purchase power from realtime market at an exorbitant rate, he said. 'The project will not kill the Athirappilly waterfalls as the water released after generation will keep it alive,' he said. As per the original proposal, the Athirappilly project will have a capacity to store 4 MCM water, which will be used to generate 163MW power. The project will have four generators with an installed capacity of 40MW. A 3MW generation unit will be installed above the Athirappilly waterfalls to keep it alive. 'The KSEB's projects at Sholayar and Poringalkuthu generate power only during peak hours during summer season. The water released from the projects after generation will be stored at the Athirappilly reservoir and used for power generation. The implementation of Athirappilly project will help ensure water flow at Athirappilly waterfalls through out the year,' said a senior official. 'If the project is implemented, we can implement various tourism projects at Athirappilly. The plantations in the surrounding areas can be used to provide amenities like parking, and recreational activities,' he explained. The Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) had issued environment clearance for the project in 2001, 2005 and 2007. Now, the KSEB has to prepare a DPR and upload it on the Parivesh portal of the MoEF&CC. After getting approval from the ministry, the board will have to follow the procedure for environment clearance once again. Proposed in 1979 Athirappilly project capacity: 163 MW Dam to be constructed at Pokalapara Generation unit to be set up at Kannankuzhy
Time of India
28-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
KSEB takes tourism route to revive Athirappilly project
T'puram: In yet another move to push the controversial Athirappilly power project , the Kerala state electricity board ( KSEB ) is all set to repackage the 163 MW hydel power project across the Chalakudy River as a tourism-friendly one. The board has engaged the Centre for Environment Architecture and Human Settlements (CEARTH), Kozhikode, to prepare a proposal to explore the tourism potential of the project, which is currently in cold storage due to protests. Not only environmentalists but also the CPI, which is part of the LDF govt, and the opposition parties have come up against the project whenever the board tried to push it forward. KSEB now contemplates to outwit the greens by winning the trust of tourism lobby in favour of the project. CEARTH made a presentation before KSEB chairman and MD Biju Prabhakar in Jan on the development of dam-based tourism at the board facilities in Malankarala, Idukki, and Banasurasagar. "During the meeting, a proposal for modifying the Athirappilly hydro electric project as a tourism-friendly project and the preparation of a master plan for the tourism amenities and associated buildings such as a tribal school, tribal hamlet, primary health centre, public amenities, etc. were discussed," an order from KSEB said. It further permitted the Kozhikode-based agency to visit the Athirappilly project site and submit a proposal for the preparation of a tourism master plan for Athirappilly. Prabhakar said the KSEB would like to look into the tourism aspect of Athirappilly in a big way, which was never part of the project plan in the past. "A dam across the river would ensure a perennial flow of water through the waterfall, a major tourism attraction currently. Further, basic amenities, a walkway, boating service, a glass aquarium, or even a seaplane service can be introduced as part of the hydroelectric project," he said, adding that abandoned estates in the area can be repurposed to set up major tourism facilities, including resorts. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas In Dubai | Search Ads View Deals Undo KSEB acquired the environmental clearance for the Athirappilly project, and the Centre had rejected the concerns expressed by environmentalists over the project. For a long time, there has been a rumour in the bureaucratic circles of KSEB that environmentalists were raking up controversy over the project at the behest of the tourism lobby. Their argument is that the lobby fears that the construction of a dam across the river would affect the waterfall and seal the tourism potential. "The new move appears to be a last-ditch attempt to salvage the project. The board might be under the impression that it would be able to contain the protests by winning the trust of tourism lobby," a retired KSEB official involved in the project said. INSET Huge ecological loss, says expert Thrissur: Director of River Research Centre, Chalakudy, S P Ravi, said the proposed Athirapally power project was denied clearance due to the huge environmental and ecological loss associated with it. "For the project to materialize, 137 acres of forest area including 38.4 acres of riparian forests will have to be cut down. It will affect the fish biodiversity in the Chalakudy river and Vazhachal waterfalls. The region is an elephant pathway as it connects the Eravikulam, Parambikulam. Already there have been man-wildlife conflicts as the elephants came into the downstream areas of the forests," he said. Ravi added that the region is known as a biodiversity hotspot for being home to not just plants but also migratory and native birds, butterflies and dragonflies. "This is also known for the sighting of all the four hornbills - Common Grey Hornbill, Great Pied Hornbill, Malabar Pied Hornbill and Malabar Grey Hornbills. The effect of the project will also be seen in the various drinking water projects of Chalakudy River," he said.
