Yelahanka Power Plant Revived Amid Karnataka's Electricity Crisis

Karnataka Power Corporation Limited's Yelahanka Combined Cycle Power Plant has been revived to meet the growing electricity demand in Bengaluru. The plant, which was shut down for over four months due to a lack of natural gas supplies, resumed operations on Monday and is now feeding power into the city's grid.

The 370-MW Yelahanka plant is Karnataka's first gas-based power station, commissioned in September 2024 after converting diesel-powered generating sets to run on natural gas. Under an agreement with GAIL India, 60% of the plant's gas requirement is supplied at a mutually agreed price, while the remaining 40% is procured at spot market rates linked to global gas prices.

However, the arrangement was disrupted after the West Asia conflict led to a decline in natural gas availability. As the Centre prioritized domestic consumers for limited gas supplies, GAIL suspended fuel supply to the Yelahanka plant on March 10.

KPCL managing director Rajendra Cholan said reviving the plant is essential due to the drastic drop in hydroelectric generation this year. 'During June and July last year, Karnataka's hydroelectric stations generated nearly 15,000 million units of electricity. This year, because of the weak monsoon, generation has fallen to about 6,000-7,000 MU, a decline of almost 50%. That shortfall has to be bridged either by increasing thermal generation or purchasing costly power from the market,' he said.