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New UserWB: Water crisis cripples power generation at NTPC’s Farraka plant
14 Mar 2016
Water crisis at the 2,100 mega watt NTPC power plant at Farakka forced the state-run power generator to curtail generation to just 500 MW on Saturday.
Power generation in five of the six units came to a halt in the morning due to a dip in the water levels of the Farakka feeder canal.
“Only one unit of 500 MW is operational out of three 500 MW units and three 200 MW units,” NTPC officials told PTI.
“The water level has gone down considerably. We are unable to draw sufficient water used in our units,” they said adding that the situation could continue for another two weeks unless water level improves.
Though generation curtail is an annual event during the months of March and April as water level goes down, but this year the water crisis is higher than earlier years, they said.
The idle units have been taken for regular maintenance, they added.
The National Thermal Power Corporation plant uses Ganga water that reaches the plant through the feeder canal to keep the machines cool in the absence of a self-cooling system in five units.
From Saturday morning, water level in the Feeder canal reduced to such an extent that the authorities were forced to shut down five units.
A senior official of Farakka NTPC said, “This is the first time in the past one decade when NTPC has been forced to shut down all the units of stage I and II together due to water scarcity.
“Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha states get electricity from this plant. The shutdown of the units may impact the industries of those states and the eastern region as a whole,” added the official.
The official pointed out that there is no scope of starting the units again until water level increases in the feeder canal and the plant get adequate water.
SOurcE: Hindustan Times