The world’s first solar-powered airport, Cochin Airport Ltd (CIAL), will commission its hydroelectric project on Saturday, marking a significant step forward in the production of sustainable energy. CIAL plans to supply power to the KSEB grid from its plant in Arippara, near Kozhikode, once the hydro plant is operational.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will dedicate the hydropower project, which is expected to generate 14 million units of electricity per year, at 11 a.m. today. According to Cochin Airport Ltd (CIAL), the hydroelectric plant is a “run-of-river” project that captures the kinetic energy carried by water by using the natural downhill flow of rivers and microturbine generators. At Arippara, near Kodencheri in Kozhikode district, CIAL built a weir dam across the Iruvazhinji River, as well as hydro-mechanical and electro-mechanical equipment.
The CIAL small hydro project (SHP), which is a run-of-river project, runs on limited water storage and has no negative environmental impact, according to an official statement. The plan calls for building an overflow type weir across the river to redirect water to an intake pool, where the intake structure and related water conductor system (WCS) will begin.
According to a statement, “a surge tank was erected to control the water flow during load acceptance and load rejection time.” “A penstock feeds two machines, each with a capacity of 2.25 MW. On the right bank of the river, a powerhouse with horizontal turbines with a capacity of 4.5MW has been constructed.” The site is 45 kilometers from Kozhikode City, in Nellipoyil Village near Kodencheri in Kozhikode district. The airport also bought five acres of land from 32 local people, for a total cost of around 52 crores. During peak flow days, the powerhouse is predicted to generate roughly 1.08 lakh units of electricity, and the plant is expected to remain operational at full capacity for 130 days each year.
“When the country is debating a power crisis, it is the leadership and advice of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, as Chairman of CIAL, that has proven to be decisive in speeding up project implementation,” stated S Suhas, CIAL’s Managing Director. “We are confident that this will provide additional impetus for the development of such hydro projects throughout the state, which includes 44 rivers and countless streams.”
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