Kerala Power Minister K Krishnankutty stated that the state energy board is considering power cuts if the coal scarcity crisis in north India persists. The Minister further said the board is waiting and watching to see what happens and there is a supply shortfall from the central pool due to the coal shortage. With estimates indicating that the coal scarcity in north India would likely last a few more months, the state will need to assess how long power cuts, if required, should be implemented.
B Ashok, chairman of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), stated to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram: ‘We are watching the day-to-day developments and if people reduce their consumption during the peak hours from 6 pm to 11 pm, then we could overcome the crisis. Presently three thermal plants that Kerala depends on are having shortage of power production and if it develops into other power producers, we will definitely have to go for a power cut.’
He added that the state’s daily allotment from the central pool was 2,200 MW, but it has been significantly decreased in recent days, prompting the board to make some tough decisions.
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Kerala, on the other hand, relies heavily on hydroelectric electricity and a significant power outage seems unlikely with a healthy monsoon. The government and the electricity board may have to resort to short-term power outages when the state’s central pool allotment is decreased.
The state used to suffer daily half-hour power cuts, when there was an extraordinary growth in electricity usage and this was increased to an hour each day in 2013 to balance the state’s electricity needs. However, despite the state experiencing some of the worst floods in a century, there have been few power outages in the years thereafter.
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