KOCHI: It is the peak of Southwest monsoon when the state normally receives heavy rainfall.
But Keralites will have to endure power restrictions during evening hours at least for the next 15 days as the state is fighting an unprecedented power crisis.
The fear of monsoon failure triggered by the looming El Nino threat, depleting water storage in KSEB dams and obligations of power purchased under SWAP agreement have pushed the state into a crisis.
A review meeting chaired by Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph on Wednesday decided to impose power restrictions from 6 pm to 12 midnight from June 17 to 30.
The storage in KSEB reservoirs has depleted to 21% and the state is facing a deficit monsoon due to the El Nino effect. Meteorologists have cautioned that the El Niño conditions may strengthen in July and August, which may possibly suppress the moisture-laden winds that bring rain to the Indian sub-continent.
Kerala is currently facing a 14% deficit in rainfall and if the dry spell continues, the dams may dry up. This will create a situation where the state will have to depend entirely on power imported from other states.
The KSEB had procured power from north Indian states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab under the SWAP agreement during the months of March, April and May to meet the summer demand.
The power demand had surged to 118.26 million units on April 27 while the peak hour demand crossed 6000 MW for a few days in the third week of April. The plan was to return power by increasing the generation in hydel projects during monsoon season.
As per the SWAP agreement, the KSEB has to return the power it purchased from north Indian states from June 16 to September 30.
According to the KSEB, 596 million units of power was procured through SWAP agreement and the board has to return 609.72 million units starting from June 16.
This will push the state to a power crisis as the board is unable to increase generation due to depleting storage. The KSEB had planned to procure power through short and medium-term agreements through the DEEP e-bidding portal. However, the attempt failed as the country is facing a power crisis due to the El Nino threat.
Though the monsoon had set in on June 1, the state has not received enough rainfall and as the temperature remains high the power demand has not declined.
The KSEB was expecting the peak hour demand which stood at 5,500 - 6,000 MW in May to decline to 4,100 MW. But the average peak hour demand in the state is 4,900 MW. The daily consumption which normally declines to 80 million units during monsoon season remains high at 93 million units.
The maximum power available is 4,013 MW which includes 1700 MW internal generation, 1701 MW available from the Central grid and 612 MW received through long-term agreements.
According to KSEB sources, there is a shortage of 900 MW from June 16 to 30.
The availability of power from power exchange has declined to 5% due to the power crisis. In these circumstances the board is forced to impose power restrictions during peak hours from 6 pm to 12 midnight, a senior KSEB official informed TNIE.
In the review meeting held on Wednesday, Minister Sunny Joseph directed KSEB chairman M G Rajamanickam to explore the possibility of availing more power from Real Time Market and Day Ahead Market to meet the demand.
The meeting gave permission to impose restrictions during peak hours if the board is unable to get additional power.