Insufficient Kaptai Lake water delays full operation of Karnaphuli hydro station
Of the plant’s five generating units, with a combined capacity of 230MW, only a single 40MW unit is running at present.
Despite recent rainfall, water levels in Kaptai Lake have not risen enough to allow full-scale operations at the Karnaphuli Hydroelectric Power Station, with only one unit currently in operation.
Of the plant's five generating units, with a combined capacity of 230MW, only a single 40MW unit is running at present. During the dry season, units are gradually shut down as water levels fall below the required threshold, and are brought back online in phases once levels recover during the monsoon.
Plant Manager Engineer Md Mahmud Hasan told The Business Standard, "As of Thursday morning, the lake's water level stood at 77.10 feet Mean Sea Level [MSL]. Before the recent rainfall, it was at 68 feet MSL. Once the level exceeds 80 feet MSL, units will be restarted one by one. Full operations will depend on water availability when levels reach 90 feet MSL. At present, only a 40MW unit is running."
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According to plant data, water levels between 68 and 69 feet MSL are considered critical. If the level drops below 70 feet MSL, electricity generation would come to a complete halt. Kaptai Lake has a maximum storage capacity of 109 feet MSL.
Located about 50 kilometres from Chattogram city, Kaptai Lake in Rangamati was created in 1962 through the construction of a dam. The project led to the submergence of 655 square kilometres of land and displaced nearly 100,000 people.
The lake, with a catchment area of around 4,250 square miles, serves as the primary water reservoir for power generation. In addition to rainfall, water flows into the lake from upstream areas, including runoff from India's Lushai Hills.
Plans for the Karnaphuli Hydroelectric Power Station date back to 1906, with surveys conducted in 1923. A proposal was made in 1946 to construct the plant at Barkal, about 65 kilometres upstream from the current dam site.
Construction began in 1957 under US-based contractor Utah International Incorporated. Since its establishment, the plant has generated 39,606 million units of electricity up to 2022.
The first two units were installed with a capacity of 40MW each, though they can generate up to 46MW. The remaining three units each have a capacity of 50MW.
