Formal commissioning of Pallivasal extension hydro scheme expected this month

The Pallivasal Extension Scheme, a hydel project in Idukki district that has been plagued by delays, is expected to see formal commissioning this month.

According to the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), which lists this scheme among its biggest ongoing works, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is expected to inaugurate the scheme.

The Pallivasal Extension Scheme, which adds 60 megawatts (MW) of capacity to the State’s power grid, was conceived acknowledging the necessity for rapid development of internal hydropower in Kerala to meet the steadily increasing power demand. It was designed as an extension to the 37.5 MW Pallivasal Hydroelectric Project, Kerala’s first hydro project which was commissioned in 1940.

Work on the extension scheme had begun in 2007, but it was soon plagued by technical glitches and geological challenges, forcing the KSEB to extend deadlines. According to the initial agreement inked in 2007, the extension scheme should have been completed on March 1, 2011. Work was initially awarded to the ESSAR-DEC-CPPL consortium. But the contract was terminated in 2018 following problems related to machinery, geological issues and personnel. A new contractor was hired to complete the installation of machinery, but delays continued to haunt the project.

In February, the KSEB management had also decided not to take action against its officials for the delay in the construction of this hydel project. The KSEB had decided to accept a report of its Vigilance wing in this regard which concluded that it would be “undesirable” to initiate action against the officials. “Though the lapse from the officials has caused the delay in the commissioning of the project, the enquiry has not found any evidence for malicious, willful intent or vested interest,” the Vigilance wing had noted.