Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala may have to impose partial power restrictions from 6.15 pm to 12.45 am on Saturday amid an electricity shortage and a surge in demand, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) said.

The state has seen a significant increase in power consumption due to deficient rainfall following the El Niño phenomenon and relatively high atmospheric temperatures.  According to the board, electricity availability through the power exchange has declined considerably as power demand has increased across the country. The national-level power shortage of 12,000 MW reported by the Grid Controller of India has also not been fully resolved. The state is also facing an unexpected decline in power availability from central generating stations.

The state's uncontrolled demand touched 5,349 MW at 10.30 pm on Friday, a level normally recorded during the summer months. Demand was around 1,100 MW higher than levels recorded in September in previous years. Kerala is also not receiving the 200 MW of electricity available through a power swap arrangement with Madhya Pradesh. This resulted in an additional 200 MW shortage on Saturday.

With rainfall remaining subdued and power consumption staying high, the state may face a further availability shortage of around 900 to 1,000 MW compared with previous days, the KSEB said.