At a time when coal supply constraints are keeping thermal power
generation capacity under-utilised, hydropower producers, too,
are facing the heat. Reservoir levels are down to 16 per cent
from 27 per cent last year, setting the alarm bells ringing for
hydropower generators. If rainfall fails, the situation could
turn grim. Some initial impact has already started appearing. In
the Nathpa Jhakri hydro power station, run by Satluj Jal Vidyut
Nigam Ltd (SJVN), in Himachal Pradesh, low rains have already
affected power generation. "On an average, the discharge in the
Satluj river, recorded in the first quarter this fiscal, has
been 57 per cent less than the 2011-12 levels and 25 per cent
less than 2010-11. Similarly, the power generation in the first
quarter has been 26 per cent less than in 2011-12 and 16 per
cent less in 2010-11,” a senior SJVN official told Business
Standard. The power plant has an installed capacity of 1500 Mw.
In neighbouring Uttrakhand, however, the impact has not been
very severe till now