Kerala Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty on Saturday clarified that the state is not undergoing unannounced load shedding, saying recent power interruptions are the result of temporary system overloads driven by unusually high electricity consumption.
Addressing concerns raised from across the state, the minister said the brief outages—reported in several areas, often lasting around 15 minutes during night hours—are occurring when demand peaks, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm.
“It is not intentional. Power consumption has increased sharply, and excessive usage is causing overloads that lead to temporary interruptions,” he said.
Krishnankutty noted that Kerala’s electricity demand has surged beyond 6,195 MW, placing significant strain on the grid. He added that around 70% of the state’s power is sourced externally, and existing power banking arrangements have been fully utilised.
The government, he said, has approached the Regulatory Commission seeking approval to procure additional power, though at higher costs. At the same time, he stressed the administration’s intent to avoid tariff hikes and urged consumers to moderate usage, especially during peak hours.
Responding to Opposition criticism over earlier claims that Kerala had gone a decade without power cuts, the minister said the current situation reflects a broader national trend rather than a state-specific failure.
He expressed confidence that the situation would stabilise within a couple of days but cautioned that long-term energy security would depend on strengthening in-state generation capacity.
Meanwhile, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) reported record levels of consumption amid the ongoing heatwave. Peak demand touched 6,195 MW on April 23, while overall daily usage reached an all-time high of 117.16 million units on April 18. Evening demand between 6 pm and 10 pm also hit a record 6,033 MW.
KSEB said the grid is under considerable strain due to the surge in demand, leading to occasional voltage fluctuations in some areas. It has urged consumers to reduce usage during peak hours from 6 pm to 11 pm and said efforts are underway to maximise in-state generation and secure additional external supply.
However, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan alleged that the state is witnessing unannounced load shedding during night hours and accused the government of misleading the public with earlier claims of uninterrupted power supply.
Calling the situation a “challenge to the people,” he demanded that the restrictions be withdrawn immediately, warning of protests if the issue persists.
Satheesan also alleged irregularities in power procurement decisions, claiming that earlier long-term low-cost agreements were discontinued by the current administration, contributing to the present crisis. He said the opposition would seek a probe into what he described as corruption behind the power sector decisions.
(With inputs from PTI)