Kerala turns to 200MW power purchase as crunch persists

Thiruvananthapuram: In a bid to ease the acute power crunch the State has been facing, the government has directed the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to buy 200 MW from a North India-based company at ₹11 per unit to meet peak hour demand between 6 pm and midnight.

Under the contract, the power will be available from either Thursday evening or Friday until Oct 31. The deal, however, requires approval from the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission. Even with the additional power, the current restrictions on power distribution can be lifted only if consumption declines or Kerala secures additional power from other states.

According to Chief Minister V D Satheesan, the government is looking to put in place short- and long-term contracts to address the power crisis. A meeting has been convened on Thursday to discuss the options, he said, adding that contracts for six to eight months could be entered into if necessary. “If a longer term arrangement is required, that too will be made,” he said.

“There are power cuts in all states in India. Kerala’s long-term power contract had lapsed. The previous government cancelled the contract under which the state was receiving 465MW without interruption, but did not make any alternative arrangement,” Satheesan said.

The state, meanwhile, once again did not receive the 150MW of power it was due under its long-term contract on Wednesday. Besides the 4,339MW available with KSEB, the state received 100MW to 200MW from some other states for intermittent periods on Wednesday night. However, restrictions continued as demand remained high, crossing 5,000MW.

Although some parts of the state received rain, power consumption did not decline.