Bengaluru: As drought-like conditions deepen across Karnataka and nearly half of the state’s hydroelectric power stations fall silent, Bengaluru has found an unexpected power lifeline.The state govt has revived the Yelahanka gas-based power plant to avert potential power shortages in the city. The station, which had remained shut for more than four months after natural gas supplies were disrupted by the West Asia conflict, resumed operations Monday and is now feeding electricity into Bengaluru’s grid.Operational since Sept 2024, Karnataka Power Corporation Limited’s 370-MW Yelahanka Combined Cycle Power Plant is the state’s first gas-based power station. The project was commissioned after converting the earlier diesel-powered generating sets to operate on natural gas. Under its agreement with GAIL India, around 60% of the plant’s gas requirement is supplied at a mutually agreed price, while the remaining 40% is procured at spot market rates linked to global gas prices.The arrangement was disrupted after the West Asia conflict triggered a sharp decline in natural gas availability. As Centre prioritised domestic consumers for the limited gas supplies, GAIL suspended fuel supply to the Yelahanka plant, forcing it to shut down on March 10. TOI first reported the impending shutdown in its March 10 edition.With Karnataka now grappling with a severe rainfall deficit that has crippled hydroelectric generation and pushed electricity demand sharply higher, particularly in Bengaluru, the govt moved to revive the gas-based station to support the state’s power grid.“Considering the present power situation, the govt held several rounds of discussions with GAIL and secured a limited allocation of natural gas to restart the station,” a senior KPCL official said.Energy minister KJ George had also directed KPCL to ensure all generating units are revived.KPCL managing director Rajendra Cholan, IAS, said reviving the Yelahanka plant has become essential as hydel generation has dropped drastically this year. “During June and July last year, Karnataka’s hydroelectric stations generated nearly 15,000 million units (MU) of electricity. This year, because of the weak monsoon, generation has fallen to about 6,000-7,000 MU — a decline of almost 50%. That shortfall has to be bridged either by increasing thermal generation or purchasing costly power from the market. Restarting the Yelahanka plant is one of the measures to reduce dependence on expensive market purchases while ensuring reliable supply to Bengaluru and adjoining regions,” he said.KPCL officials said GAIL has resumed supplying gas under the existing arrangement, though the quantity is sufficient to operate the plant only five to six days a week. The plant is expected to remain shut on Sundays, when electricity demand is relatively lower.“At an 85% plant load factor, the station is expected to generate around 2,600-2,700 MU annually. The cost of generation depends on the Henry Hub (HH) natural gas price index. With the index currently below 4, the generation cost works out to around Rs 6-7 per unit. Under Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) norms, Bescom purchases this power at around Rs 8 per unit, making it a viable source for meeting weekday peak demand,” a KPCL engineer said.
