DVC to reduce power generation amid Durgapur Barrage lock gate crisis

Kolkata: The Damodar Valley Corporation has decided to regulate power generation upto 1000 MW in a power plant in West Bengal due to water scarcity, following damage to a lock gate of the Durgapur Barrage, an official said on Monday.

The DVC will stop 500 MW power generation from Mejia Thermal Power Station by Monday and another 500 MW by Tuesday.

The Mejia power unit located at Durlabhpur, 35 km from Durgapur, has a total capacity of 2340 MW.

"Two power plants at Mejia and Andal are set to be affected due to lack of water caused by the lock gate crisis.

We are regulating generation of 500 MW at mejia by this afternoon and another 500 MW by early next morning," a senior DVC official said.

"After regulating, we can manage to generate 1340 MW at Mejia and 1000 MW (2x500MW) at Andal (in Durgapur Steel Plant) for 3-4 days given the water in their reservoirs," he said. The Durgapur Steel Thermal Power Station (Andal plant) requires 90,000 cubic metres of water from the Damodar river per day.

with agency inputs