Kaptai plant at its highest generation
230MW power produced a day as lake water level peak in 9 years
Boats are used to carry people across the Karnaphuli as the rain-fed river flooded the hanging bridge at Kaptai.Photo: STAR
Kaptai Hydroelectric Power Plant (KHPP), the country's lone hydroelectric project, is now at its optimum operation, producing 230mw power a day. All the five generators of the plant are in full operation from last month as water level of Kaptai Lake is at its highest level in nine years, KHPP sources told this correspondent yesterday. Following rains in the last few days, water level of Kaptai Lake swelled by two to three feet, inundating fresh areas in the district for the second time this year. KHPP sources said only 10 to 12 mw power is needed for Rangamati district and rest is supplied to the National Grid. They said 2,50,000 cusec (cubic feet per second) water is released from the lake through 16 spill ways of the power plant now. During last dry season (April-June), most of the generators of KHPP remained inoperative due to fall in the water level of the Lake. Power generation hovered around 35 mw during that period, the sources said. The five generators were operated by rotation during the dry season. The power produced then could meet only the demand of Kaptai upazila Sadar, they said. Now, the Means Sea Level (MSL) of the lake is 108.94 whereas it came down to 68.84 during the last dry season. Kaptai Hydroelectric Dam is capable of holding water up to 109 feet depth in the lake, and the level exceeded last month. The Unit -5 was put into operation on June 30 after about two months' silence.
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