Tala Hydroelectric Power Station

Tala Dam
Tala Hydroelectric Power Station is located in Bhutan
Tala Hydroelectric Power Station
Location of Tala Dam in Bhutan
Official nameTala Hydroelectric Power Station
CountryBhutan
LocationChukha District
Coordinates27°02′10.38″N 089°35′43.17″E / 27.0362167°N 89.5953250°E / 27.0362167; 89.5953250
PurposePower
StatusOperational
Construction began1997
Opening date2007
Dam and spillways
Type of damGravity
ImpoundsWangchu River
Height92 m (302 ft)
Length128.7 m (422 ft)
Elevation at crest1,366 m (4,482 ft)
Dam volume3,520,000 m3 (4,600,000 cu yd)
Reservoir
Total capacity9,800,000 m3 (7,900 acre⋅ft)
Active capacity3,200,000 m3 (2,594 acre⋅ft)
Catchment area4,028 km2 (1,555 sq mi)
Surface area360 m2 (0.089 acres; 0.036 ha)
Normal elevation1,363 m (4,472 ft)
Power Station
Commission date2006-2007
Hydraulic head860 m (2,820 ft)
Turbines6 x 170 MW (230,000 hp) Pelton-type
Installed capacity1,020 MW (1,370,000 hp)[1]

Tala Hydroelectric Power Station is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station on the Wangchu River in Chukha District, Bhutan. The station consists of a 92-metre (302 ft) tall gravity dam which diverts water through a 22 km (14 mi) long headrace tunnel to the power station (26°50′26.36″N 089°35′12.55″E / 26.8406556°N 89.5868194°E / 26.8406556; 89.5868194 (Tala Hydroelectric Power Station)) which contains six 170 MW Pelton turbine-generators. The difference in elevation between the dam and the power station affords the project a hydraulic head of 860 m (2,822 ft).[2][unreliable source?]

Preliminary construction on the project began in 1997 and major works were underway by 1999. The power equipments viz. turbines, generators etc. were designed and manufactured by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), at their various factories in India. The first generator was commissioned on 31 July 2006 and the final on 30 March 2007.[3] The project cost was about US$900 million and was financed by India through grants. All of the electricity generated is exported to India through three 400kV transmission lines.[2]

The power station is the country's biggest hydropower project and the fourth after the Chuka project (336 MW) in 1988, followed by Kurichhu (60 MW) in 2001, and Basochho (40 MW) in 2005. Electricity revenue was expected to provide no less than 60% of the government's entire revenue in 2009. In 2017, 97.7% of Bhutanese households had access to electricity.[4][5]

See also

References

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  1. ^ "Salient Features - Tala". DrukGreen. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Tala Hydroelectric Project, Bhutan". Power Technology. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  3. ^ "Tala Hydropower Plant". DrukGreen. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  4. ^ "Bhutan's happiness is large dam, fast GDP". The Economic Times, India. 2 November 2009. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  5. ^ Worldbank