KOCHI: With the sun unbearably shining on the city, power consumption has risen to an all-time high, state KSEB officials. The increased usage of fans and air-conditioning to counter the heat and expanding mercury levels are the sole culprit behind the swelling units.
March 19 raised the curtain on the high electricity consumption at 83.08 million units. Ever since power consumption has only proliferated. A record consumption of 85.89 million units was noted on Tuesday. While Monday was considered to be the highest with 84.21 million units, Tuesday beat it, raising it further high.
"At this time of the year, about 77-78 million units are expected. The average consumption at the maximum is 80 million units. But over the past few days, we had a record increase of four-five million units," said Kesavadas, deputy chief engineer, Kerala State Electricity Board. He cited the hours between 6 pm and11 pm as the peak time when demand was at the highest. The Indian Meteorological Department(IMD) has pointed out that temperature is above normal, which is 1.6-degree Celsius to 3.0-degree Celsius, at many places over Kerala.
Reports suggest the heatwave will continue in the state till March 29. With the soaring heat and high power consumption, it is indeed doubtful if the KSEB can meet the demand without causing power disruptions. With reports suggesting water levels up to 46 per cent of their total capacity, Kesavadas assures that there is nothing to worry. "There is enough storage of water in dams in comparison to previous years to meet the demand. KSEB produces about 20-23 million units of power internally from its hydel power dams per day," he said.