Kerala is bracing for another potential spell of power load-shedding—the third since the UDF government assumed office. Administrative delays at the state government level in approving a short-term power-purchase agreement with the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board have triggered the fresh crisis.
According to senior Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) officials, the state is projected to face a peak-hour power deficit of up to 900 MW starting November 1. This deficit may force the power utility to implement staggered load-shedding between 6:00 PM and midnight to manage the widening gap between demand and supply, following similar outages in July and September.
Despite intermittent rainfall, the state’s peak-hour demand has hovered around 4,900 MW over the past fortnight and could escalate beyond 5,500 MW if dry weather persists. However, the total power availability for the state will stand restricted to 4,200 MW from November 1. Although KSEB had sought clearance to procure 2,225 MW of additional power, the State Electricity Regulatory Commission approved only 1,000 MW at rates ranging between Rs 6.90 and Rs 10 per unit.
The primary hurdle stems from the government’s indecision on procuring power offered by Himachal Pradesh. The northern state board had offered 900 MW to 1,200 MW of peak-hour power at Rs 14.50 per unit.
KSEB had been drawing this supply since October 1, which successfully ended the previous round of power cuts. However, the file seeking government approval to extend the agreement for the period from November 1 to May 15 has remained pending with the administration for the past 22 days.
For more details: Navamalayalam.com