July's daily power consumption hits 10-year high amid supply crunch in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 18 (PTI) Kerala recorded its highest average daily electricity consumption for the month of July in the last 10 years, with demand rising by around 12 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year, official figures said. The surge in power consumption comes at a time when the state is grappling with power shortages, forcing the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to impose power cuts in several parts of the state. The KSEB said in a Facebook post on Saturday that the comparatively higher increase recorded in 2019 should be viewed in the context of the unusually low electricity consumption during 2018, when the devastating floods had significantly reduced power demand. In a statement later in the day, the KSEB said the state has witnessed a significant rise in electricity consumption compared to previous years due to deficient rainfall caused by the El Nino phenomenon and the persistence of relatively high atmospheric temperatures. It said the availability of power through the power exchange has also declined considerably as electricity demand has increased across the country. With dry weather continuing in the state, power consumption on Saturday is expected to increase by around 200-300 MW compared to previous days, it said. The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission has granted approval for the purchase of 200 MW of power at Rs 5.96 per unit. However, if this proves insufficient and the required quantity of electricity is not available through the power exchange, partial power restrictions may have to be imposed during the evening peak hours on Saturday, the statement added. Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph had recently attributed the present power crisis to deficient rainfall and falling water levels in reservoirs, which have adversely affected hydel power generation, even as electricity demand has risen due to higher temperatures. The situation was not unique to Kerala and was being experienced across the country, the minister had said. Joseph also said Kerala was currently repaying the electricity it had borrowed from other states during March and April this year, adding that power restrictions were likely to continue for the time being as the government explores measures to address the supply-demand gap. Earlier in the day, BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar alleged that the recurring power cuts in the state were "man-made" and reflected the UDF government's failure to address the growing electricity demand. In a social media post, Chandrasekhar rejected the state government's claim that the outages were primarily due to poor rainfall and low water levels in dams. "This is not nature's fault. It is man-made. It is the UDF government's outright failure," he alleged. PTI LGK ADB