NHPC reports Rs 1,075.97-cr loss due to flash flood at Teesta-V power station.
The flash floods have drenched the Teesta-V power station at Sikkim during the month of October 2023. According to regulatory filing unveiled by the company on Thursday, the damage assessment has featured the worst ever loss that NHPC, a state-run hydro power major, faced at Rs 1,075.97 crore. Besides damage assessment, the company has also accounted for efforts towards restoration and impact from the landslide that occurred during August 2024.
The flash flood on October 4, 2023, has caused major damage to the Teesta-V hydro power station. The company informed that it has already communicated with the insurer about the damage and is now working on restoration. NHPC said that major restoration work, including civil and hydromechanical packages 1 to 5, have been awarded and work is in progress for the repair and restoration of the power station.
Except the flash flood, material damage at NHPC has been caused by landslide that occurred on 20 August 2024. It has also affected the operation of the facilities, also. Landslide is put in the material damage bracket at around Rs 327.67 crore. Till now, from Tail Race Tunnel to Gas Insulated Switchgear area, the real extent of the damage still remains unclear from the debris removal process that continues in the company.
It will be done once the de-silting process will be over.
NHPC has said that it is currently developing the Subansiri Lower Hydro project in Assam for the operational aspect of the present scenario. The company confirmed that the first three units of 250 MW are ready by May 2025. Among five remaining also at the capacity of 250 MW each, it is going to be ready by May 2026. Hydro power project Subansiri Lower Hydro Project forms one of the most prominent projects that NHPC is conducting and will enhance the country’s power generating capacity to a large extent.
The report further explained the measures of restorations which were required to be made subsequent to damage by flood and landslide. All the main packages of restorative work which include civil and hydromechanical elements are awarded to contract and the work of restoration is going on in time schedule. Restoration work underway is going to play a very significant role in ensuring power generation resumes in time in Teesta-V station, a lifeline for electricity generation in this region.
NHPC is an acronym for National Hydroelectric Power Corporation, incidentally one of the biggest hydroelectric power producers in India. The landscape of India is dotted by hydroelectric plants with ample of the company’s own installations all over the country. These add up to great contributions towards renewable energy produced in the country. The level of destruction meted at Teesta-V and at Subansiri project indicates vulnerabilities of the hydropower infrastructures brought about by such events as floods and landslides occasioned by recurring shifts in the weather.
Such natural disasters have already affected the operations of the company, but the efforts that were in place to restore it back to normalcy show how much NHPC is committed to coming back from such calamities and restoring its power generation capacity in the shortest possible time. The restoration work in Teesta-V and recovery work due to landslide indicate the company’s resiliency in dealing with environmental challenges and maintaining the infrastructure.
Conclusion:NHPC besides Teesta-V and Subansiri, has some hydroelectric projects under varying stages of completion. Also, this company has gone in an upbeat campaign for increasing renewable energy capacity as it ventures into other forms of clean energy such as solar energy and wind power. That has been inspired by Indian Government’s campaign towards scaling up production in renewable source of energies. Flash floods and landslides at NHPC’s Teesta-V and at several other hydroelectric facilities remind us of the vulnerability of large infrastructure projects in India to extreme events. In the face of changing climates and resultant frequent and intense weather events, it is of utmost importance for companies such as NHPC to invest in disaster preparedness, resilient infrastructure, and timely restoration processes in order to minimize such disruptions in their operations and among the communities they serve.
Source: NHPC Regulatory Filing, December 2023