Kochi: Electricity consumption in Kerala has touched 90 million units as the monsoon continues to remain weak, pushing power usage to levels typical of peak summer. The state is facing severe power shortages at night and has been drawing excess electricity from the national grid, prompting a warning from the National Grid Control Room. Kerala has been advised to procure the required power in advance from the power exchange to avoid impacting the grid.

On Friday night, the state's power consumption peaked at 90 million units, compared to 80 million units during the same period last year. On Thursday, load shedding had to be imposed in the state. Meanwhile, hydroelectric generation has been ramped up to meet the demand, currently producing between 38 and 40 million units—double the 20 million units generated during the same time last year.

On Friday, the state's power demand stood at 4,489 MW. Despite increased hydroelectric production, Kerala had to draw an additional 764 MW from the national grid.

If any state draws power beyond its assigned quota from the national grid, it can result in grid downtimes and necessitate electricity restrictions in other states as well. This is what prompted the Grid India authorities to issue a warning to Kerala. The state is facing a night time shortage of around 900–1,000 MW, a situation that is likely to persist. Hence, the warning advises procuring the required electricity in advance via the power exchange.

Previously, there were five regional load dispatch centres across India. These have now been integrated into a unified National Grid. Kerala falls under the Southern Load Dispatch Centre, headquartered in Bengaluru.

If Kerala continues to draw excess power from the national grid, the Bengaluru-based control centre has the authority to switch off the state’s 220 kV feeders to reduce the load. The warning aims to avoid such measures by encouraging timely power purchases.