The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) is scrambling to secure additional power supply for April and May, given the sharp jump in electricity use in the State during the 2024 summer.
The State-run power utility, which has already appealed to consumers to keep electricity use down in the evening hours, has floated an e-tender for procuring 500 megawatts (MW) to meet the anticipated additional demand from April 15 to May 31. The short-term procurement through the DEEP (Discovery of Efficient Electricity Price) portal is for meeting the additional requirement expected from 6 p.m. to midnight and from midnight to 2 a.m.
Due to the widespread use of air conditioners to stave off the summer heat, peak electricity demand hours now extend beyond 11 p.m. in the State, according to KSEB officials. Projections for April and May show that the State is likely to face a shortage of up to 800 MW during the evening hours.
In a related development, the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission has given the nod for procuring 60 MW of hydropower from the Naitwar Mori project of SJVN Ltd for meeting the power requirements from March 21 to June 15. SJVN Ltd is a joint venture of the Centre and the Himachal Pradesh government.
Although the KSEB had struck a number of power purchase deals in advance for the summer, the consumption levels in March has gone against all expectations. Kerala has recorded daily consumption above 100 million units (mu) on most days since March 11.
Short-term deals
In January, the commission had approved a number of short-term deals for round-the-clock supply of 200 MW from April 1 to April 30 and 175 MW from May 1 to May 31 at ₹ 8.69 per unit. In addition to these, the KSEB had also secured a number of ‘swap’ and banking arrangements to meet the summer demand.
Meanwhile, the KSEB is also conserving the storage in the hydel reservoirs which was already low in the first place. Hydropower generation within the State is now kept at 12-13 mu a day. Combined storage in the reservoirs stood at 49% of the capacity, as on March 22.
