Promised 15-minute power cuts, getting 45-minute outages: Kerala's power crisis deepens

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala's power shortage is proving more severe than many consumers expected, with electricity outages stretching up to 45 minutes in several parts of the state despite the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) initially indicating shorter restrictions.

While consumers were informed that power regulation would be limited to 15-minute intervals, residents across the state have reported multiple outages lasting much longer. Complaints have also emerged that power cuts are occurring not only during the notified 6 pm to midnight period but at several other times during the day and night. In many cases, consumers say electricity is being disconnected without prior warning.

The frequent disruptions have triggered widespread public anger, with KSEB employees facing criticism from consumers frustrated by repeated interruptions. The situation has become particularly contentious when outages occur during live sports broadcasts like FIFA World Cup and other prime-time television programming.

The current restrictions are expected to continue until Tuesday as Kerala grapples with a significant gap between electricity demand and availability. KSEB is expected to procure an additional 150 MW of power from Wednesday, a move that officials hope will help ease the widespread restrictions. However, authorities caution that the situation will continue to depend heavily on rainfall and reservoir inflows.

Figures submitted by KSEB to the State Electricity Regulatory Commission underline the scale of the challenge.

On June 25, the utility reduced electricity demand by 198 MW through power regulation measures.

On June 26, demand reduction ranged between 158 MW and 387 MW at different times of the day.

The restrictions intensified further on Saturday, when demand curtailment reached between 514 MW and 622 MW, leading to simultaneous power outages in several locations.

Why is Kerala facing power cuts?

The biggest challenge is the sharp fall in water levels at the state's reservoirs. According to official estimates, Kerala's dams currently hold only about 17% of their storage capacity. During the same period last year, reservoir levels were above 40%.

The decline has severely affected hydropower generation, reducing electricity production from the state's hydroelectric projects to nearly one-third of normal levels. Although power can be purchased from outside the state during daytime hours at relatively lower rates, securing sufficient electricity for peak night-time demand has become increasingly difficult.

KSEB's efforts to buy additional power during June were also unsuccessful due to limited availability in the market, worsening the supply crunch. Until reservoir levels improve and additional power becomes available, consumers are likely to continue experiencing periodic outages across Kerala.