Srisailam reservoir exceeds annual power goal

In a remarkable feat attributed to abundant monsoon rainfall and robust water inflows, the Srisailam reservoir has surpassed its electricity production goal for the 2025-26 fiscal year in just 70 days . This achievement is a significant turnaround from the previous year, which saw minimal power generation due to water scarcity.

Tirumala Prasad, the Chief Engineer of the Srisailam Right Bank Hydro Electrical Station (SRBHES), confirmed that the facility successfully generated 1,129.7 million units of electricity, comfortably exceeding the initial annual target of 1,000 million units. This success, he noted, was a direct result of several favorable conditions, including diligent supervision by officials, exemplary staff performance, and meticulous machinery maintenance. The station's installed capacity is 770 megawatts, with seven generators, each capable of producing 110 MW, all of which were brought online to achieve this milestone.

The record-breaking power generation was accomplished by utilizing nearly 189.5 TMC ft of water from the dam. However, with water levels recently dropping, power production has been temporarily halted, and water is now being prioritized for crucial agricultural needs.

According to the latest bulletin from the Irrigation Department, the dam's current storage stands at 206.099 TMC ft against its total capacity of 215.80 TMC ft. The water level is at 883.30 feet, which is very close to the full reservoir level of 885 feet. The dam continues to receive a substantial inflow of 65,865 cusecs of water from the Tungabhadra and Krishna rivers. A higher volume of 1,02,877 cusecs is being released to support various downstream needs, including:

• Andhra Pradesh Power House: 30,737 cusecs

• Telangana Power House: 35,315 cusecs

• Mahatma Gandhi Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation: 1,600 cusecs

• Pothireddypadu Balancing Reservoir: 23,000 cusecs

• Handri Neeva Srujala Sravanthi canal: 3,225 cusecs

This early accomplishment highlights the critical role of timely rainfall in maximizing the dam’s multi-purpose function for both power generation and agricultural sustenance in the region