Moolamattam blast: How safe is the powerhouse?

MOOLAMATTAM: The explosion in a generator at the KSEB Moolamattam powerhouse on Monday raises serious questions on the safety of the power project. The accident left two injured and the powerhouse was temporarily shut down, forcing six hours of load shedding across the state.Its a fact that the three generators in the powerhouse have crossed the decommissioning period. When the project began in 1976, it was recommended that the generators must be decommissioned after 25 years. The first three generators are now working even after 35 years of its commissioning. The other three would cross the decommissioning period in three years.A senior engineer, on condition of anonymity, said the major headache before the KSEB is that if the first three generators are decommissioned there will be an acute shortage of power generation. Currently, each generator has the capacity to produce an average of 130 MW units daily. KSEB operates only five generators at a time leaving one for routine servicing."Around 40 percentage of power produced in the state comes from the Moolamattam. If the generators are decommissioned the power production from here will be cut down by half which will result in a major power crisis. So it was decided to run these machines after proper maintenance," he said.At the time of its inception, the employees and engineers were trained in Canada. But most of them have retired and several are nearing retirement.Presently, KSEB deputes engineers for 23 years to be trained under the seniors."The working conditions and the eighthour alternative day shift make the job least preferred. Most of the employees don't volunteer to work at the powerhouse," the engineer said.