River(Impounds): Krishna River
Location: Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh/Mahabubnagar district, Telangana.
Opening: 1981
Height(Metres): 145.10 m
Length(Metres): 512 m
Total Capacity: 216 Tmcft
History:
The Srisailam Dam is constructed across the Krishna River on the border of Mahabubnagar District, Telangana and Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh near Srisailam temple town and is the 2nd largest capacity working hydroelectric station in the country.
The Srisailam project began in 1960, initially as a power project. After several delays, the main dam was finally completed twenty years later in 1980 July 26. In the meantime the project was converted into a multipurpose facility with a generating capacity of 770 megawatts (1,030,000 hp) by its second stage which was completed in 1987. The dam is to provide water for an estimated 2,000 square kilometres (770 sq mi). Under the right bank branch canal 790 square kilometres (310 sq mi) in Kurnool and Kadapa districts will have assured irrigation. From the initial modest estimate of ₹384.7 million for a power project the total cost of the multipurpose project was estimated to cross ₹10 billion in its enlarged form. The dam has alone cost ₹4.04 billion together with the installation of four generating sets of 110 MW each. The right bank branch canal is estimated to cost ₹4.49 billion and the initial investment of ₹1.4 billion has been provided by the World Bank. The projected cost-benefit ratio of the project has been worked out at 1:1.91 at 10% interest on capital outlay.[citation needed]. In 1998 a coffer dam was over topped by flooding. The power house required repairs and did not generate power for a year. On 2 October 2009, Srisailam dam experienced a record inflow which threatened the dam.