In ‘good sign’ for the winter, Kulekhani water level rises

Heavy rains in the last few days have led to water level in the Kulekhani reservoir rising by around four meters and this is likely to ease power cuts to some extent this winter.

However, officials attribute the present respite in load-shedding hours to the fall in temperature, which has led to people using less hours of fans and air conditioners.

The 92-MW Kulekhani Hydro Electricity Project is the only reservoir-type power project in Nepal. Though the rise in the water level is not contributing to the temporary respite in load-shedding, it will positively contribute in minimizing the daily projected power outage of 21 hours this winter, officials said.

Electricity consumers in the Kathmandu valley have been experiencing an ‘unofficial’ decrease in the daily power-cuts, ranging between one and one-and-a-half hours.

Lashing rains contributed to the decrease in around 20 to 25 megawatt of power consumption. The present demand for power is 980 megawatt, while the supply stands at a mere 600 MW and that includes electricity imported from India.

According to Bhuwan Kumar Chettri, the chief of the System Operations Department under the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), almost all run-off river power projects that are in operation are running in full capacity as the water level in the rivers feeding the projects is ‘satisfactory.’

‘Bishwakarma’ puja that was celebrated on Monday also contributed to the decrease in the power demand as most power-demanding industries remained closed that day,” Chettri said.

The water level in the Kulekhani was recorded at 1,523.60 meters above sea level at 5 pm on Tuesday, a leap of around four meters as compared to the level a few days ago.

Rabindra Mahaseth, the chief of the Kulekhani project, said the water level is rising at the range of five to six centimeters every hour.

“If the downpour continues for another couple of days, the reservoir is likely to be full. And this is a good sign for the coming dry season,” he said. The reservoir can store water up to 1,530 meters above sea level.

Mahaseth said the Kulekhani project is not generating power every day and is only operated to meet the emergency needs.

The Meteorological Forecasting Division has recorded moderate to heavy rainfall in many parts of the country since the beginning of this month, a trend that is expected to continue for at least another week.

source: www.ekantipur.com