Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan said on Wednesday that the state government aims to resolve the ongoing power shortage by around September 15 by arranging additional electricity and directing the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to act on a war footing.
The announcement was made in Thiruvananthapuram after a Cabinet meeting. Satheesan said Kerala was facing a shortage because of a sharp rise in electricity consumption, poor rainfall and inadequate inflows into dams. The conditions have affected the state’s ability to generate and procure power, particularly during peak-demand hours.
“With electricity consumption having increased so much, our main objective is to bring in additional power and find a solution to the present power shortage by around September 15,” Satheesan said, according to PTI. He said the government was taking all possible steps to maintain uninterrupted supply without placing an excessive financial burden on consumers.
The Chief Minister said it had also become difficult to purchase electricity from neighbouring states during peak hours. Drought-like conditions and reduced power generation in southern states have limited the availability of electricity that Kerala could obtain from outside the state, he said.
Satheesan attributed part of the current cost pressure to the cancellation of a long-term power purchase agreement entered into by the previous Congress-led United Democratic Front government under former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. Under that agreement, electricity was available at around Rs 4.29 per unit, he said.
The agreement was later cancelled by the previous Left government, after which Kerala has been forced to buy electricity at substantially higher prices. Satheesan said the cost had risen to around Rs 10 per unit in some purchases. He argued that the earlier agreement had been secured in anticipation of a situation such as the one the state is now facing.
“There has been a situation where adequate power is not available. There are problems in several places,” Satheesan said, referring to the supply constraints. The government has not announced details in the supplied report on the quantity of additional electricity it intends to procure, the locations facing the most severe disruption or the financial arrangements for the proposed purchases.
The shortage comes as electricity demand has risen across Kerala while rainfall and dam inflows have remained inadequate, affecting the availability of hydropower. The state’s dependence on purchases from neighbouring states has also become more difficult because of lower generation in parts of southern India and increased demand during peak periods.
Satheesan said the KSEB would receive instructions to take all necessary measures to address the crisis. The government’s stated target is to bring in additional power and resolve the present shortage by around September 15.
