KOCHI: It is still monsoon, but Keralam has been sweating due to a prolonged dry spell that has sent the mercury soaring. Amid this, power outages have triggered outrage and social media is flooded with memes and trolls blaming the V D Satheesan government of inefficiency and insensitivity.
The political slugfest notwithstanding, questions are being raised as to why the state has plunged into darkness hardly four months into the term of a new administration. Residents in rural areas have been complaining of multiple power cuts, ranging from 15 to 25 minutes each between 8pm to midnight.
The KSEB says a steep rise in use triggered by weather change and non-availability of power in central grid has forced it to regulate consumption. The peak-hour demand, which usually hovers around 4,000 MW, has climbed to 5,000 MW, and the utility is experiencing a shortage 1,000 MW.
On September 2, the Grid Controller of India revealed a countrywide shortage of 12,000 MW due to scarcity of coal and maintenance of some generating units. With no power available in the ‘day-ahead market’ and ‘real-time market,’ the KSEB finds its hands tied.
But the crisis has exposed the core issue of Keralam’s dependance on other states for its growing power demand. The state’s hydel-power stations’ generation capacity tops out at 1,750 MW, with demand during peak hours averaging at 4,500 MW.
The state gets around 1,500 MW from central grid and has long-term power-purchase deals with generating units for 650 MW. Furthermore, KSEB buys around 300 MW through short-term power agreements.
“Keralam built large hydel projects such as Idukki, Idamalayar, Sabarigiri and Sholayar between the 1960s and 80s, with no new major additions since. Apart from the 100 MW Kuttiyadi extension commissioned in 2010, all other projects commissioned over the past three decades were small or medium projects. These small projects have been a burden for KSEB, with high establishment costs and negligible output,” a retired KSEB engineer said.
Axed by activism
Why did KSEB fail to identify and establish big projects? Top officials said it stopped considering big hydel projects fearing environmental activism. The state saw massive protests against the plan to establish hydel units at Silent Valley, Pooyamkutty and Athirappilly. KSEB conducted surveys in 1958 to establish a 120 MW project at Silent Valley by damming Kunthipuzha river. The plan was revised in 1973 to two units of 120 MW each. The project was scrapped following protests.
There were studies in the 1980s to establish a 1,000 MW project at Pooyamkutty which was later scaled down to 210 MW. The plan was to construct a dam cross Pooyamkutty River upstream of Pindimedu waterfalls. The project was also shelved following protests.
The 163 MW Athirappilly power project was envisaged in 1996 with a plan to construct a dam across Chalakudy River by tapping the water released from the Peringalkuthu hydel project. Despite receiving environmental clearance in 2012, the project was binned after the tribals of Vazhachal settlement and environmental activists launched an intense protest.
A similar fate befell the 2,400 MW coal-based thermal plant in Cheemeni, Kasaragod, proposed in 2009. The plan was to use coal allocated by the Centre to generate power. Later revisions saw it being conceived as a coal and LNG fuel thermal plant. It too was abandoned.
“Imports help meet around 78% of the state’s electricity demand. Power consumption has been rising steadily and we need big projects. To ensure power stability, we should tap into more resources to meet at least 50% of the demand. Though initial investment is high, hydel projects are cost-effective. If we have a combination of thermal, hydel and solar projects it will be ideal to ensure availability of power at reasonable rates,” said former KSEB chief engineer (generation) K R Rajan.