Lift Irrigation schemes to get Transco power push

Draws road map to meet 11,500 mw of power demand for lift irrigation schemes
Hyderabad: Telangana Transco would meet the 11,500 mw of power demand of the Lift Irrigation Schemes for providing irrigation to one crore acres of land in the State. It has submitted a comprehensive report to Chief Minister K Chandrashekara Rao on the steps being taken to supply power to the LI schemes.

The power arrangements for the LI schemes have been made as per the estimates of the Chief Minister who ensured redesigning of LI schemes and other irrigation projects as per the needs of Telangana. Instructions have been issued for making arrangements for supply of power prior to the completion of pump houses.

Transco CMD D Prabhakar Rao submitted the report giving details of the works that have been taken and completed as well as the works that are proposed to be taken up. By 2020, the department will be able to produce the required power, he said in the report.

Telangana Transco estimated that 11,500 mw of power would be required when Lift Irrigation projects of Kaleshwaram, Palamuru and Sitarama start operations. Genco, which has set a target to itself of producing 27,000 mw of power by 2020, has included the power for LI Schemes in its plans.

The Telangana Transco has created the Lift Irrigation wing with a director and two chief engineers as well as other staff.
As many as ten 400KV substations, twenty four 220KV substations, twenty five 132 KV substations and special transmission lines would be established for the LI Schemes. The Transco estimated that about Rs 6,000 crore would be needed to establish supply network.

According to the officials, the annual expenditure for maintenance of power supply network would be Rs 10,000 crore after the launch of LI projects. The Chief Minister said that by 2020 the budget of Telangana State would cross Rs 2 lakh crore. Spending Rs 10,000 crore for Lift Irrigation and Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 crore for free power to the farmers would not be a burden to the exchequer.

The government has decided to use giant motors for the lifts in Telangana and the capacity of motors to be used for Kaleshwaram would be 139 mw. To study the technical knowhow of the production process, the officers’ team visited Austria once.

Public sector undertaking BHEL has been entrusted with manufacturing of motors. These are manufactured in the BHEL Bhopal unit by next year. The motors would be used to lift water from the Medigadda Pump house. As of now the maximum capacity motors of 30 mw are used in Kalwakurthy lift.

The giant motors would be installed at Kaleswaram since 2 TMC of water per day would be lifted here. Second 139 mw capacity of motor would be established at Ramadugu to lift water of 3,200 cusecs flow at a height of 120 mts. At Chandalapur 134 mw capacity, at Medaram 124 mw capacity, at Thippapur 106 mw capacity motors would be used to lift water of 3000 cusecs flow at a height of 100 mts.

The LI Schemes need 4600 mw for Kaleshwaram project, 4000 mw for Palamuru project and 690 mw for Sitarama project. Additional power is also required for few more small lifts elsewhere in the state and if all are put together, the requirement would be 11,500 mw.