The Hindu Business Line : Load shedding likely in Kerala

Ever growing demand for power without a corresponding increase in generation/availability would lead to a supply shortage during the peak summer months and such a scenario might compel the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to resort to load shedding.

High-cost thermal power

Avoidance of such a situation would necessitate purchasing of high-cost thermal power from the NTPC’s Kayamkulam plant and the BSES plant at the nearby Eloor. Both these units are operating on high cost naphtha and, hence, the price would be round Rs 6 a unit, which the KSEB might like to avoid, senior KSEB sources told Business Line.

Good southwest Monsoon has placed the hydroelectric projects at a comfortable position with all its reservoirs almost full but that alone would not be enough to meet the growing daily demand, they claimed. With current water storage level and the estimated inflow in the coming weeks, the hydel stations would be able to generate 6,300 million units from June 1 to May 31 next as against a demand of over 14,000 mu.

What has made the situation worse is the non-availability of the State’s share of 1,200 MW from the Central grid in full. The decision to take out 15 per cent of this as unallocated portion for diverting to other states where the situation is comparatively much grave is, in fact, depriving the state of around 160 MW daily.

It was thought to be a temporary phenomenon but now it appears to have become a perpetual affair. “This has reduced our entitlement to 1,040 MW and during the monsoon months it used to be 900 MW, as the power plants are under maintenance in this period. However, during summer we would be able to draw about 1,000 MW”, they said.

The daily average demand in August was 40 mu while it expected to be 41 mu next month, they said. The hydel projects are at present generating 23 mu daily and balance requirement is met by drawing from the central grid and operating its diesel power generating units at Brahmapuram and Kozhikode during the peak hours, they said.