Residents complain of steam and noise emission as KPCL continues testing in Yelahanka gas plant in north Bengaluru

KPCL continues to test equipment and conduct trial runs in Yelahanka gas plant in north Bengaluru. The date for commissioning the much-delayed combined cycle gas-based power plant is yet to be decided.

The commissioning date for the much-delayed combined cycle gas-based power plant at Yelahanka in Bengaluru is yet to be decided. Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) has been carrying out tests and trial runs at the plant since March. 

In November 2023, Energy Minister K. J. George had said that the plant would begin functioning in two months after the Supreme Court permitted a trial run for six months from the date of commissioning.  

When trials of various components of the plant began in March 2024, residents nearby had complained of the large amount of steam and the noise coming out of the plant. At the time, KPCL officials had said that the amount of steam and noise would reduce once both turbines – gas and steam – began running. The combined cycle was expected to start running in 30 – 45 days.  

“Test runs of the turbines are taking place individually as well as in combined cycle. Due to technical problems, the combined cycle faced problems thrice. The technical team comprising engineers is trying to solve the problems. There is a lot of new equipment in the plant,” said a source in KPCL. 

Residents, especially those who stay close to the plant, claim that the amount of steam and noise has been increasing in the last few months.

“We do not know how they expect us to live in such conditions. The noise is horrible, and the humidity has increased in the surroundings of the plants,” said a person who stays in an apartment near the plant.  

After environmentalists had expressed concerns about the ecological impact the plant would have on its surroundings, including the two lakes in its vicinity, the Supreme Court, in its November 2023 order, had told Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to monitor the ambient air quality at different locations and submit a report based on the data analysed after five-and-a-half months of commissioning of the plant.