A meeting convened by Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty here on Thursday to review the power position in Kerala is understood to have ruled out power restrictions to overcome the present crisis.
The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), asked to report other options, reportedly drafted a proposal whereby industrial and commercial establishments would be urged to keep night-time electricity consumption to a minimum during the next ten days. Shops and other commercial establishments will be requested to avoid using electricity for advertisements and decorative lighting throughout night. The request will also apply to night-time use of agriculture pumps during this period.
These steps are proposed strictly as a voluntary measure, a KSEB official said. The KSEB is expected to hand over a report outlining its proposal to Mr. Krishnankutty on Friday.
KSEB officials said the idea is to keep the peak demand at manageable levels during the next two weeks. The State-run utility is hoping that summer rainfall would strengthen by mid-May, ushering in cooler weather and reduced electricity usage during the evening hours.
A senior KSEB official said the emphasis is on preventing the maximum demand from approaching 5,800 megawatts (MW). It had touched 5,717 MW on April 29, much to the alarm of the KSEB.
Mr. Krishnankutty had met top officials of the KSEB and the Power department on Thursday morning to assess the situation. Senior officials of the KSEB held a meeting later in the evening to discuss options before the power utility.
