The first unit of the 900MW Srisailam left bank power station project in India is expected to be ready for synchronisation by early January 2001. The remaining five units are expected to be commissioned within the next 1.5 years.
The first stage of this project, funded by the Japan Bank for International Co-operation (Overseas Economic Co-operation Fund) was scheduled to be commissioned by July 2000. However, excess seepage during underground tunnelling and tricky sheet rock delayed the commissioning of the project.
The Sirisailam project is expected to meet peak power demand requirements. The project includes a unique pumped storage underground power station with two large reservoirs. It has an underground surge cavern which is 77m high and a 236m long power house cavern. The horseshoe tunnel and tailrace tunnel have diameters of 15m, and are the highest in the country. The generation equipment was supplied by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and Hitachi, and BHEL supplied the pump turbines.