THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) imposed power restriction across the state from Friday night, between 7.30 pm and 10.30 pm. The decision was taken due to a shortage of 250-300 megawatts from the Central pool.
A sudden hike in price by the National Power Exchange Ltd (NPEX) forced the KSEB to back off from purchasing power. “The unit cost of electricity from NPEX surged from Rs 3.5-Rs 4 to Rs 6.5, which is too high for financially-strained KSEB to purchase,” said an officer.
Shortage of rainfall has severely affected the KSEB’s hydel power generation. The state purchases more than 75 per cent of its required power from outside, but an officer said it needs, even more, to make up for the shortage.
The reservoirs in the state have only 11 per cent water.