Leak in spherical valve: Moolamattom Powerhouse to be closed for a month

THODUPUZHA: The Moolamattom Power House will be shut down completely from November 11 to December 10 for repairs to the spherical valve of the generators. Power generation is being stopped to repair the leakage in the main intake valve (MIV) of generators number five and six. Although there will be a power crisis, there will be no load shedding.

The leak occurred in March due to a broken seal on the top of the valve. Attempts were made to fix it, but were unsuccessful. It was decided to close the power plant for a month in July for repairs, but that did not happen. The board gave permission to close the power plant and fix the problem because it could not be extended further due to safety reasons. The work will be carried out by completely stopping the operation and replacing each valve using a crane.

Maintenance every year

Each generator undergoes maintenance every month from June to December every year. Electricity generation is not completely stopped due to this. The plant had previously been shut down for 10 days from December 7 to 17, 2019, to replace a valve in generator number one.

Six generators of 130 MW

Six generators of 130 MW each have been installed at the Moolamattom Power House. The total generating capacity is 780 MW. Generators number one, two and three were installed in 1976 and generators number four, five and six in 1986.