Activists believe that the Odisha government should initiate contempt proceedings against the Andhra government for disobeying the Supreme Court’s 1968 judgement.
In an effort to maintain the status quo with regard to claims over border areas, “Amo Kotia,” an organisation led by former District Collector of Odisha’s Koraput, made a Thursday appeal to the Odisha government to initiate contempt proceedings against the Andhra Pradesh government for disobeying the Supreme Court’s 1968 order.
The activist told the media that the project being undertaken by the AP government following an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the Adani Group is causing tension in the areas bordering Odisha-AP, in accordance with the recommendation of Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd (TCE), which was hired by Non-conventional Energy Development Corporation of AP (NREDCAP) to conduct the feasibility studies.
TCE proposed that Kurukutti and Karrivalasa be developed as a single cluster by using a common lower reservoir in their report, which was submitted in 2021. As a result, research was done, and Kurukutti PSP was given an installed capacity of roughly 1200 MW. Kurukutti PSP’s future evaluation requirements, including their viability and necessity, were examined in light of a number of metrics and variables.
“AP’s attempt to move forward with the project in Odisha by entering into an agreement with the Adani Group should not be allowed,” he added. “Kurukutti comes under Odisha jurisdiction, the dam will be erected in our State, and the territories under submersion would also belong to Odisha.” Parida advised that Odisha take on the project independently if necessary.
At the 2020–21 price level, the project is expected to cost Rs 4,766 crore, including IDC of Rs 538 crore. The project is designed as a pumped storage hydroelectric project that will serve as an energy storage system for the massive solar parks currently being built in Andhra Pradesh.
Therefore, operating the proposed scheme as a run-of-the-river hydel scheme is not intended.
According to the feasibility report, the Kurukutti Pumped Storage Project is planned to be situated over the Boduru Gedda River, which originates at a height of around RL 1400 m close to Serubandha Parbat in Odisha.
According to the source, the river travels through Odisha for around 8 km before entering AP close to the village of Chemidipatipolam. According to the source, it continues to run for another 14 km before joining the Pedda Gedda river close to Mokhasadandigam hamlet. After that, it becomes known as the Suvarnamukhi river.
The government of Andhra Pradesh, under the leadership of Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, is keen on developing pumped-storage hydroelectric projects to balance variable renewable power and export excess power to other States. This is due to the recent focus on the development of large-scale renewable (solar and wind) projects in AP.
The Kurukutti and Karrivalasa sites, according to the AP government, are both in the Vizianagaram district. The upper dam across a tiny nallah (small stream) that empties into the Boduru Gedda river and the lower dam projected across the Boduru Gedda river, a tributary of the Suvarnamukhi river, have both been proposed by AP (Nagavali river basin). According to NREDCAP representatives, the higher dam is close to the village of Chemidipatipolam in the Salur taluk of Vizianagaram.
Preliminary research was previously conducted by Australian Renewable Energy Mapping Infrastructure (AREMI), which identified the Kurukutti PSP with a recommended energy storage capability of roughly 150 GWh and 18 hours of storage. The proposed plan called for the construction of two new dams or reservoirs in the Suvarnamukhi river basin’s Boduru Gedda river.
Kurukutti is governed by Odisha, the dam will be built in our State, and the regions submerged also fall within Odisha’s purview. Activists demand and say that it should not be permitted for AP to proceed with the project in Odisha by signing a contract with the Adani Group.
Prasanta Patnaik