Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala may have to impose partial power restrictions between 7 pm and midnight on Wednesday amid a possible shortage of around 12,000 MW of electricity nationally during the evening peak, according to the Grid Controller of India.

The Grid Controller has warned states to implement demand-management measures as a last resort to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the power grid during the evening peak.

In a message issued on Wednesday, the Southern Regional Load Despatch Centre said the national power system was facing high demand amid declining wind generation.

The system frequency fell to a minimum of 49.43 Hz at 7.16 pm on Tuesday. Thermal power generation across India during non-solar hours was also around 5 GW lower than on August 31.

National demand during solar hours on Wednesday was around 5 GW higher than the previous day, reaching 255 GW at 10.45 am. Demand in the Southern Region was 1.5 GW higher.

Demand is expected to remain elevated during the non-solar hours, while wind generation was around 6.5 GW lower than on Tuesday and is expected to remain subdued.

According to the Resource Adequacy Assessment, an electricity deficit of around 12,000 MW is anticipated during the evening peak on Wednesday. Limited upward reserves are also expected to be available during the non-solar peak hours.

Against this backdrop, Grid-India has asked states to ensure that electricity drawal remains within approved schedules and to explore appropriate demand-management measures.

It has also directed states to restrict battery energy storage system (BESS) charging and the pumping mode of pumped-storage plants (PSPs) during non-solar peak hours.

The warning comes as electricity demand typically rises sharply during the evening peak, when solar generation falls and other sources of power need to meet the increased load.