Moolamattom Power House to be shut down from today; no electricity production for a month

MOOLAMATTOM: The government has granted permission to the KSEB to shut down the Moolamattom Power House for one month to carry out maintenance work. From 5.30 a.m. today, power generation at Moolamattom will be completely stopped. KSEB has taken precautionary steps to ensure that the state does not face a power shortage.

The shutdown of all generators was initially planned for 3 a.m. yesterday, but the decision was put on hold. This permission to shut down the power house was granted after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan intervened.

Earlier, Minister Roshy Augustine and others had raised concerns that stopping the release of water used for power generation would sharply reduce the water level in the Muvattupuzha river, causing severe water shortage in several panchayats in Idukki, Ernakulam, Kottayam and Alappuzha districts. Discussions were later held with the electricity minister, but no final decision was made until 3 a.m. The Chief Minister stepped in after that.

The electricity minister informed the Chief Minister that this is the most suitable time for a shutdown. With rains continuing, there is no need to worry about water shortage, he said. He also pointed out that the leak in the spherical valve was becoming uncontrollable and that an emergency shutdown could create more serious problems.

Following this, the Chief Minister approved the shutdown. Although permission has been granted for 30 days, the KSEB hopes to complete the repair work within 25 days.