The Indian state of Karnataka has decided to proceed with the Upper Krishna power project (UKPP), although the final height of the Almatti dam is still undecided.
The Supreme Court of India recently allowed Karnataka to raise the dam to 519.6m, which is still below the proposed height of 524m. The final height of the dam, the subject of dispute with the state of Andhra Pradesh, will be decided by a tribunal. The chief minister of Karnataka has authorised the Chamundi Power Corporation to continue studies to revise their detailed project report for power generation, on the basis of the height approved by the Supreme Court.
The 300MW power station at Almatti is estimated to cost US$325M. The entire project will have an installed capacity of 1100MW and comprise four other smaller stations in a cascade from Almatti dam to Narayanpur dam to Tamankal. The installed capacity and the size of the power plant is expected to remain the same, despite the loss in power generation due to the reduced height of the dam.