Electricity minister’s speech interrupted by outage at Kochi KSEB event; says state’s power crisis cannot be solved ‘at the flick of a switch’

Kochi: Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph was speaking about the state’s power crisis and defending the public sector against privatisation when the lights went out at a KSEB event at Ashirbhavan in Kochi on Friday, forcing him to bring his address to an abrupt end.

The power failure occurred during the inaugural session of the 18th State Conference of the KSEB Officers’ Federation, moments after Joseph recalled a warning from his mentor and senior Congress leader A K Antony that taking charge of the Electricity Department was like “donning a crown of thorns”.

Joseph had just said he was working to “transform that crown of thorns into a crown of flowers” and acknowledged that the public’s anxiety and concern over the electricity situation were understandable when the hall plunged into darkness.

With the microphones also going dead, delegates switched on their mobile phone flashlights. Joseph remained silent on stage for a few moments before declaring the inaugural ceremony concluded and leaving the venue.

Asked by reporters whether he had now personally experienced the impact of power cuts, the minister responded with a smile: “KSEB knows exactly when I should stop speaking, and that is why they cut it off.”

Earlier in the day, while addressing the media in Kochi, Joseph clarified that daytime power disruptions were localised issues and did not constitute the department’s officially scheduled load-shedding.

‘No quick fix to power crisis’
Joseph said Kerala’s worsening power shortage could not be resolved overnight and appealed to the public to cooperate with restrictions.

“This power crisis is not something that can be resolved at the flick of a switch, nor can miracles be performed. Electricity cannot be conjured out of nowhere. We have to enforce restrictions more than once a day,” he said.

The minister attributed the widening supply-demand gap to a sharp rise in consumption, particularly because of increased air-conditioner use and electric vehicle charging during late hours. Peak demand, he said, has risen by more than 1,000 MW compared with the same period last year, significantly altering the traditional load pattern.

Kerala currently generates only around 25% of its electricity requirement internally, Joseph said, contrasting it with Andhra Pradesh, which produces about 86% of its requirement.

“No major generation projects have been started in Kerala since Idukki,” he said, noting that hydel projects remain stalled while the state has also maintained opposition to nuclear power generation.

The situation has been further aggravated by the difficulty in procuring electricity from the Day-Ahead Market and Real-Time Market amid a nationwide shortage. Although solar power is available in abundance during the daytime, Kerala lacks sufficient storage capacity to use that energy after sunset.

Minister blames previous government over power purchase agreements
Joseph also blamed the previous LDF government and former Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty for the present crisis, particularly the cancellation of long-term power purchase agreements.

During the tenure of former Congress Electricity Minister Aryadan Muhammed, Kerala had secured a 25-year agreement to purchase 465 MW of electricity at a concessional rate of ₹4.29 per unit. The agreement was later cancelled by the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Joseph questioned the government’s failure to intervene under Section 108 of the Electricity Act, which empowers it to issue directions on policy matters.

“Under Section 108 of the Electricity Act, the government had the statutory power to intervene on policy matters. The Regulatory Commission had government representatives, including the former minister’s own private secretary. Yet, they opened their eyes and stepped in only after six months had elapsed,” he said.

By then, private companies had diverted the contracted power to other states at higher rates, he claimed.

“Power that we once secured for ₹4.29 cannot be obtained even for ₹10 today. The burden of their sins is now being carried on the heads of the people,” Joseph said.

Kerala is also still repaying 530 MW of power borrowed during March and April, with the repayments continuing until September 30.

The government is pursuing a legal battle in the Supreme Court seeking restoration of the cancelled ₹4.29-per-unit power purchase agreement. Joseph said senior advocate Kapil Sibal had been engaged to represent Kerala.

At the same time, the government is planning Battery Energy Storage System installations at Mylatti, Pullur, Sreekandapuram, Pothencode and Areekode.

A 500 MW BESS project at Brahmapuram has already received clearance, and Joseph said he would seek to expedite its implementation in coordination with the Chief Minister.

Efforts are also under way to clear administrative hurdles delaying the Bhoothathankettu, Barapole and Peringalkuthu Stage II hydel projects.