Consumers can expect small-scale curbs on power supply for at least two days as Kerala continues to battle a shortage of about 400 to 500 MW during the evening peak hours, a situation born of the coal shortage that has hit thermal power stations elsewhere in the country.
The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) imposed a 15-minute load restriction between 6.30 p.m. and 11.30 p.m. on Thursday. Town areas and essential services such as hospitals were exempted.
Electricity Minister Krishnankutty and the KSEB urged consumers to tone down usage between 6.30 p.m. and 11.30 p.m. to keep restrictions as low as possible.
At the national level, there is a shortage of about 10.7 gigawatts due to the dip in thermal power generation and a spurt in demand. Consequently, as many as 14 States have imposed restrictions on supply, Mr. Krishnankutty said.
The Minister added that the Maithon power station in Jharkhand informed the State that there would be a shortage of 135 MW in supply.
In a statement, the KSEB said it expected the situation to return to normal within two days once 200 MW was secured from Andhra Pradesh and the Kozhikode Diesel Power Plant (KDPP) was up and running as an emergency measure. On Thursday, the State power utility was anticipating a peak demand of 4,580 MW in the State, even as it expected a shortage of 400-500 MW in imports.
On Wednesday, the director board of the KSEB, which reviewed the power situation, recommended a series of measures to tide over the shortage. As part of this, the KSEB had decided to regulate sale of surplus power outside the State and decided to explore options of scheduling power from the KDPP and also the NTPC unit at Kayamkulam.
