Bhira Dam
Specifications
The plant's maximum output capacity is nominally 300 MW, generated by six 25 MW Pelton turbines and a 150 MW pumped storage generator added in 1997. In 2014 two 10 kW microturbine units were added to generate further power from the tailrace after the main turbines.
Awards
In 2007 the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) awarded a Silver Shield to the Bhira facility's operators, Tata Power, as the second best performing power station in the country. The plant received a further Silver Shield in the following year.
Location
Bhira's rural location makes it a leisure destination for Mumbai residents.
Climate
The following climate data is for Bhira village in which the plant is located.
| Climate data for Bhira, India 1981-2010 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 39.2 (102.6) |
47.5 (117.5) |
46.2 (115.2) |
49.0 (120.2) |
47.5 (117.5) |
44.0 (111.2) |
37.1 (98.8) |
37.9 (100.2) |
40.0 (104.0) |
42.1 (107.8) |
42.1 (107.8) |
40.0 (104.0) |
49.0 (120.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 33.2 (91.8) |
35.3 (95.5) |
38.3 (100.9) |
39.5 (103.1) |
38.4 (101.1) |
32.1 (89.8) |
28.0 (82.4) |
27.3 (81.1) |
30.0 (86.0) |
33.7 (92.7) |
34.2 (93.6) |
33.1 (91.6) |
33.6 (92.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.8 (76.6) |
26.0 (78.8) |
28.9 (84.0) |
31.2 (88.2) |
31.9 (89.4) |
28.5 (83.3) |
25.8 (78.4) |
25.3 (77.5) |
26.6 (79.9) |
27.9 (82.2) |
26.8 (80.2) |
25.6 (78.1) |
27.4 (81.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16.5 (61.7) |
16.7 (62.1) |
19.6 (67.3) |
22.9 (73.2) |
25.5 (77.9) |
24.9 (76.8) |
23.7 (74.7) |
23.3 (73.9) |
23.3 (73.9) |
22.1 (71.8) |
19.5 (67.1) |
18.1 (64.6) |
21.3 (70.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 6.3 (43.3) |
5.1 (41.2) |
12.0 (53.6) |
14.1 (57.4) |
17.6 (63.7) |
16.1 (61.0) |
15.2 (59.4) |
15.1 (59.2) |
15.0 (59.0) |
11.0 (51.8) |
9.1 (48.4) |
6.8 (44.2) |
5.1 (41.2) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 1.6 (0.06) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.01) |
3.5 (0.14) |
20.0 (0.79) |
813.1 (32.01) |
1,805.7 (71.09) |
1,462.9 (57.59) |
544.1 (21.42) |
153.6 (6.05) |
20.9 (0.82) |
3.3 (0.13) |
4,828.9 (190.11) |
| Average rainy days | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 18.3 | 27.7 | 27.2 | 18.1 | 6.2 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 101.1 |
| Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST) | 45 | 37 | 37 | 42 | 50 | 81 | 92 | 92 | 85 | 70 | 66 | 60 | 63 |
| Source: India Meteorological Department | |||||||||||||
Bhira has a tropical monsoon climate (Am) with little to no rainfall from November to May and extremely heavy rainfall from June to September when it is affected by the Arabian Sea branch of the South-west monsoon with moderately heavy rainfall in October.