Tangedco told to address issues raised over Sillahalla hydro project

However, despite opposition for the hydro project with a capacity of 1,000 MW (4X250 MW), EAC has recommended additional conditions for the standard terms of reference (ToR), including to obtain the national board of wildlife clearance as Mukurthi National Park and the Mudumalai-Mukurthi Tiger corridor are present at the distance of 3.49 km and 4.18 km, respectively from the project boundary.

Due to increase in demand for peak power, Tangedco envisages the Sillahalla Pumped Storage project to utilise water of Sillahalla River, a perennial stream, a tributary of Kundah which remained unutilized. Tangedco contemplates constructing an upper dam across Sillahalla stream and the lower dam across Kundah River downstream of existing Kundah Palam Dam.

Environmentalists and scientists have opposed the pumped storage hydroelectric project stating that the proposed site falls under the eco-sensitive zone classified by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel. Already 10 large dams and reservoirs had been built in the Kundah-Bhavani basin and the area had reached its ecological carrying capacity said the petition to the EAC.

In the first meeting of the reconstituted EAC for River Valley and Hydroelectric projects held on July 28, it said the project has been recommended for ToR after the detailed discussion during the 28th meeting of EAC and site visit.

According to the proposal, both the proposed dams are interconnected by the tunnel to generate electricity for peak hours and recycle the water from lower to upper dam at the time of non-peak hours. As per the plan, concrete gravity upper dam of 82 m height and 327 m length will be built across Sillahalla River while construction of concrete gravity lower dam of 112 m height and 470 m length across the Kundah River.