Thodupuzha (Kerala): As many as 123 small hydropower projects with a combined capacity of 676 Megawatt (MW) are stalled in Kerala, with delays in implementation attributed to the slow pace of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB).

These projects, which can generate electricity at relatively low cost by diverting water through small dams and similar structures, have remained pending for years.

Idukki accounts for 22 stalled projects with a combined capacity of 236 MW. Pathanamthitta has 21 projects totalling 91 MW, while Kannur has 22 projects with a combined capacity of 66 MW.

In Idukki, the 10 MW Thottiyar project across the Deviyar and the revival of the Pallivasal Extension Scheme are among the few major developments involving small hydropower projects over the past decade.

The 40 MW Mankulam hydropower project, planned across the Melacheri river in Idukki, was halted midway through construction. A similar fate has befallen the 40 MW project proposed on the Pambar, a tributary of the Cauvery river.

Other major projects that remain stalled include the 24 MW Sengulam expansion and 24 MW Upper Sengulam project in Idukki, the 15 MW Keezharkuthu project, a 30 MW project on the Achenkovil river in Pathanamthitta, Vakkalar, the 15 MW Karikayam project, the 20 MW Kakkadampoyil-1 project in Kozhikode, the 16 MW Poru project in Ernakulam, the 8 MW Pazhassi Sagar project in Kannur and the 11 MW Chinnaparambathodu project in Palakkad.


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Projects stalled across districts

The combined capacity of stalled projects in other districts is:

Ernakulam: 5 projects- 47 MW

Kozhikode: 14 projects- 64 MW

Thrissur: 7 projects- 36 MW

Palakkad: 13 projects- 61 MW

Kottayam: 7 projects- 24 MW

Malappuram: 4 projects- 12 MW

Wayanad: 3 projects- 8 MW

Kollam: 4 projects- 10 MW

Thiruvananthapuram: 2 projects- 5 MW

Kasaragod: 7 projects- 10 MW


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Concerns over efficiency

Small hydropower projects are implemented by the civil wing of KSEB, which has an average strength of around 700 civil engineers.

However, over a period of 16 years, the wing has added only 189 MW of generation capacity, said Jacob Jose, a former project manager of the Pallivasal project.

During the same period, Kerala's power consumption increased sharply from around 1,500 MW to 4,500 MW, he added.