The second generating unit at the Linganamakki hydropower station in Shivamogga district has resumed electricity production after remaining shut for 30 months, with the repaired unit currently generating 24 megawatts against its installed capacity of 27.5 megawatts.
The unit restarted on Thursday following repair and reassembly work led by a local team from C.K. Engineers, according to sources in the Karnataka Power Corporation (KPC). The repair was carried out under the supervision of KPC officials, including chief engineer B. Anand Kumar, superintendent engineer Ranganath and executive engineer Allamaprabhu.
C.K. Engineers chief executive Umesh said the unit underwent different tests for three consecutive days after it was repaired and reassembled. The tests were conducted in the presence of engineers from the corporation, and the unit began generating 24 megawatts based on the water availability at the station, he said.
The restart restores part of the generating capacity at one of Karnataka’s older hydropower facilities. The Russian-built unit was commissioned during 1979-80 and had generated electricity for 45 years without interruption, according to the report. Its runner blade developed cracks at the beginning of 2024, after which the unit was taken out of service.
A runner is a central rotating component in a hydropower turbine. Damage to its blades can prevent the turbine from operating and requires the generating unit to be dismantled, repaired or reassembled before testing. The supplied report does not specify the nature or cost of the repair beyond identifying the runner blade cracks and the subsequent restoration work.
KPC had invited a global tender for carrying out the repairs. The report identifies C.K. Engineers as the team that completed the work and says the unit was tested over three days before returning to generation. It does not provide details of the tender value, the number of bidders, the duration of the repair contract or the expected operating schedule for the unit.
The current output is below the unit’s total capacity because generation is being carried out according to the water available at the station. The report does not state whether the unit will reach its full 27.5 MW capacity or provide a timeline for any further increase in generation.
The restart also highlights the operational importance of maintaining ageing public hydropower infrastructure. In this case, a unit commissioned more than four decades ago remained unavailable after a major turbine-component failure until repair, reassembly and testing were completed. KPC’s engineers and the contracted repair team will now oversee the unit’s continued operation, with generation tied to available water capacity.
