Although primarily intended as an Irrigation Project, the impounded water in Tungabhadra Reservoir is also utilized to generate power before being let out into the canals for irrigation purpose. The power generated on the left side is entirely used by Karnataka while that generated through two power houses on the right side is shared by states Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in the ratio of 20:80. One Power House is at the foot of the dam and another at Hampi, 21Km from the dam. The Scheme of generating electricity at these two powerhouses is called “Tungabhadra Hydro Electric Scheme”(TBHES). Work on Dam Power House was taken up in 1951 while that on Hampi power house in 1956. These power houses were commissioned in 1957 and 1958 respectively.
