KOCHI: With the prolonged dry spell sending mercury soaring and the nation facing a coal shortage, the power situation in Kerala is expected to continue for a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, the KSEB hopes that power availability in the Central grid will increase in the coming days as the temperature in North India may drop significantly and power consumption may decline.
However, there was no respite on Tuesday as the power availability in the national grid dropped by 5000 MW as generation from wind turbines dropped significantly. On Monday Kerala received 75 MW power from Gridco Odisha and 15 MW from ACBIL. Still there is a shortage of 800 MW. On Tuesday the board faced a shortage of around 700 MW.
The KSEB managed to secure 150 MW of power from eight different generation units in Western India on Monday and the board started receiving additional power from Tuesday.
KSEB chairman M G Rajamanickam would leave for Delhi on Wednesday evening to hold talks with the chairman of Nuclear Power Corporation of India. “We haven’t received any assurance regarding availability of power, but we are exploring all possible ways to secure power. There is no power available in the realtime market as demand remains high across the country,” he said.
Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation has agreed to provide 210 MW power to the state. However, the board is yet to take a final call on purchase as 130 MW power will be provided during day time and only 80 MW will be available in the night.
The HPPCL has offered power at the rate of Rs 13.50 per unit which is higher than the rate prevailing in realtime market. “Kerala does not need power during day time as there is no shortage.
The state needs power only during peak hours which extends from 6.15 pm to 2 am. So the power offered by Himachal Pradesh may not be useful. The board may send top officials and directors to North Indian states to check the availability of power directly.
The board is against purchasing power at exorbitant rates as the additional burden may lead to protests. “The situation may improve by October 1 as we have made arrangements for purchase of 600 MW,” said an official.
Power woes
KSEB receives 150 MW additional power from eight generation units
5,000 MW drop in Central grid due to drop in wind energy generation
Kerala faced 700 MW shortage during peak hour on Tuesday
Thermal power generation reduced as coal reserves in 63 plants reach critical level