Power cuts in Kerala to intensify and become frequent; move to contract 200 MW

Thiruvananthapuram: If the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) fails to secure additional electricity, power cuts (load shedding) are highly likely to become a regular occurrence in Kerala this year. Outages will be required on almost all days without widespread rainfall, and this situation could persist until at least December. There is also a strong possibility of prolonged power cuts on several days.

While the initial decision was to limit load shedding to 15–30 minutes, power is currently being disrupted for up to an hour in many areas. On Wednesday, the utility had to restrict supply by 485 to 628 MW. Due to the lack of rain, temperatures have risen by four to five degrees. On Wednesday, electricity consumption touched 90 million units, which is higher than what KSEB had anticipated for July. On several days, there has been a surge in demand of up to 1,000 MW.

There is widespread public outrage over the fact that power cuts are being imposed even during the monsoon season. Unscheduled power outages are also severely impacting commercial establishments. Minister Sunny Joseph stated that the issue stems from a nationwide shortage of electricity caused by the El Nino effect, and urged that the matter should not be politicised. However, the Opposition has sharply mocked the restrictions, branding them as the 'Indira Cut'.

On dry days, there is currently a daily deficit of 500 to 600 MW of electricity. The inability to bridge this gap is the core issue. Either it must rain, or power must be secured from the real-time market known as the Power Exchange. However, electricity is unavailable on the Power Exchange. Generators, on the other hand, are imposing a condition that power must be purchased round-the-clock (24 hours) at a rate of ₹10 per unit. Since Kerala has sufficient electricity during daytime hours, this condition is unacceptable. Encouraging the public to reduce electricity consumption is the only option KSEB has left to ease the restrictions, but this is not practically feasible. Unless additional power is contracted in advance for the upcoming summer, the restrictions will have to continue.

Move to contract 200 MW

In an effort to bring some relief from the power cuts, KSEB has initiated moves to procure 200 MW of electricity. This is being sourced from organisations including the NTPC at a rate of ₹5.69 per unit. The power will be purchased as soon as approval is obtained from the Regulatory Commission.