Balimela
H.E Project

Project Features

Water to the Balimela Power Station is taken from Balimela Reservoir through a 4 K.Ms. long Pressure Tunnel, which ends in a Surge Shaft of 20 Meters diameter and 79 Meters high. Four numbers of Steel Penstocks 3.7 Meters diameter and 183 Meters long take-off from the Surge Shaft to Butter Fly Valve House, each of the Penstocks in Tunnel bifurcate into two, thus providing eight Penstocks, for eight Generating Units . In the Valve House, eight number of 2.6 Meters dia Butter Fly Valves admit or shut-off water to the Penstock.

In the first stage of development, six Penstocks each of 2.5 Meters average diameter and 548 Meters long take-off to the Power House. Thus, in the first stage, the Power House had six Generating Units of 60 M.W. each providing an installed capacity of 360 M.W. Two more identical Units 75 M.W. each were added 2nd stage and increasing the installed capacity upto 510 M.W.

A barrage at Surlikonda was constructed to utilise the discharge of Balimela Power House for irrigation by means of two Main Canals one on the right side named as Tamasha Main Canal and the second on the left side named as Gompakonda Main Canal. These two canals are constructed by Potteru Irrigation Project for irrigation in Malkangiri district, the most backward district of the state and thereby lifting the living standard of the inhabitants.