Kalakkayam to be tapped for power.

If things go according to the plans of the Energy Management Centre, the Kalakkayam waterfalls, near Palode, will be a source of electricity to the power-starved capital city and to the State at large.

The centre, under the State Department of Power, has set in motion the process to establish a mini hydropower plant with an installed capacity of 750 kilowatt at Kurissadi, inside the Brymore estate, near Palode. The project is expected to cost Rs.6 crore.

The decision to generate two million units of power annually from Kalakkayam waterfalls at Kurissadi was taken after the Kerala State Electricity Board conducted a detailed investigation on the feasibility of the project, said an official with the centre.

The study, he said, had come out with a strong recommendation to establish the plant with minimum environmental impact and active involvement of the Forest Department, which managed the Brymore Estate. The process to invite applications from consultants to prepare a detailed project report on the proposed power plant had started, he added.

The project was conceptualised under the run-of-the-river project, a type of hydroelectricity generation whereby minimum or no water storage was needed. The government had given its approval to partner with the Forest Department, he said, adding that the EMC had started talks with the Forest Department to take forward the project.

THE HINDU