Mahatma Gandhi Hydroelectric Power Plant

History

The project was built in 1949 and is the oldest among the other power projects of the Sharavati Valley power project. It utilized 10% potential power of the Sharavathy river and generated 20000KW of electricity.

Mysuru Maharaja's contributed this to Karnataka. The power station's first name was Krishna Rajendra Hydroelectric Project. The name became changed to Mahatma Gandhi Hydro-Electric station.

Location of the Power Plant

The MGHE station is located in the state of Karnataka in southern India. The plant is situated on the Sharavathy River, in Talakallale village, Sagar taluk, Shimoga District. River Sharavati is the main source for larger quantities of electricity-producing projects. It is now a small source of electricity for this state. It is located at a distance of 15 kilometres from the Talaguppa railway station and the nearest airport is 400 km away at Bangalore.

It has easy access from Jog Falls, a distance is about 8 kilometers from the power plant.

Host Party	State	City/town/community	Project Type	Installed Capacity
Government of India	Karnataka	Jog Township and Kargal	Hydroelectric power	22MW

General description

Tphe project activity is a small containment run-of-the-river project which involves the construction and operation of small hydropower generating plant of 22.0 MW capacity downstream of the existing MGHE station and upstream of the existing SGS. These Hydroelectric projects are a combination of civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers.

Mahatma Gandhi Hydro Electric Tail Race Hydro Power is expected to generate an average annual energy of 113.36 million kWh electricity. The MGHE station cost is estimated to be Rs 44.66 crore.

Mahatma Gandhi Hydro Electric (MGHE) station has a capacity of about 144 Megawatts. The plant is owned by Ambuthirtha Power Private Limited (APPL).

B Fouresss Ltd (BFL) provided 2 units of Francis Turbines, each with 11MW capacity. The rated speed of these turbines is 428.6 rpm.

UCM Resita, a Romanian company, provided 2 Synchronous Generators. The Output Ratings are 11MW, 50 Hz, and 11 kV.

The powerhouse has 4 penstocks( pipes for water supply to hit the turbine at the generator).

Francis Turbine

A Francis turbine is a type of water turbine that converts the kinetic and potential energy of water into electricity. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency. They are suitable for a wide range of head and flow conditions, and can be used for medium or large-scale hydropower stations. They have four main components: a spiral case, a guide vane, a runner, and a draft tube.

The water enters the turbine radially through the spiral case and the guide vane, which control the flow and direction of the water. The water then hits the runner blades, which are shaped to create a high curved rotating flow. The water exits the turbine axially through the draft tube, which reduces the velocity and recovers some pressure. Francis turbines can be mounted with a vertical or horizontal shaft, depending on the site conditions and preferences.

Synchronous Generator

A synchronous generator is an electrical machine that converts mechanical power into AC electric power at a particular voltage and frequency. It is also known as an alternator or an AC generator. It works on the principle of electromagnetic induction, which states that a voltage is induced in a conductor when it moves in a magnetic field or when a magnetic field changes around it. A synchronous generator consists of two main parts: a rotor and a stator. The rotor is the rotating part that produces the magnetic field, and the stator is the stationary part that contains the armature conductors.

Development Status:

The project got commissioned on 06/12/2007.

Methodology

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