PNS|Vijayawada
KVN Chakradhara Babu, Managing Director of APGENCO, has announced that the Machkund Power House has successfully resumed operation after a prolonged hiatus of approximately two years. This achievement led to APGENCO achieving its highest monthly generation in the past 15 to 20 years, with a total of 79.042 million units (MU) generated in June 2023. The Plant Load Factor (PLF) reached an impressive 91.48% during this period.
Chakradhara Babu attributed this remarkable feat to the unwavering support and guidance of the management, particularly Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Special Chief Secretary to the Government, K Vijayanand, and Minister for Energy, Forest, Environment, Science and Technology, and Mines and Geology, Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy.
The Machkund Hydro Electric Project, originally conceived during 1955-59, operates under the administrative control of Erstwhile APSEB/ APGENCO. The project involves a joint effort between the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, with costs and benefits shared in a 70:30 ratio as per the original 1945 agreement. Currently, the cost and benefit ratio has been modified to a 50:50 distribution in the recently concluded agreement.
With a station capacity of 120 MW (3x17MW+3x23MW), the Machkund Hydro Electric station is responsible for providing power to both states. APGENCO is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the joint project.
Despite the existing turbine generating units surpassing their designed life of 35 years by serving for more than 64 years, they continue to operate effectively.
