Thiruvananthapuram | KSEB on Tuesday said it may impose short power curtailments of under 30 minutes between 6 pm and midnight to maintain grid stability amid rising demand due to extreme heat.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Additional Chief Secretary (Power) Puneet Kumar IAS, attended by KSEB Chairman and Managing Director Minhaj Alam, directors, chief engineers, and other senior officials.
The meeting assessed that a sharp rise in electricity demand could put severe stress on the transmission and distribution network, potentially leading to serious and unavoidable issues if not managed in time, according to a Kerala State Electricity Board statement.
The State Load Despatch Centre’s chief engineer has been authorised to impose short-duration power restrictions, if required, during peak evening hours to ensure grid stability.
The situation will be reviewed daily by a team of senior officials.
In its detailed statement, KSEB said the state has been witnessing a steep spike in power consumption due to soaring temperatures, which have reached up to 41 degrees Celsius against a forecast of 38 degrees.
On April 27, the state recorded an all-time high daily consumption of 118.26 million units, while peak demand after 6 pm touched a record 6,033 MW. On April 23, demand briefly surged to 6,195 MW at 10.30 pm, it said.
Officials noted that reduced availability of power in the national market due to the ongoing heatwave across the country has compounded the crisis, particularly as Kerala depends on external sources for over 70 per cent of its electricity requirement.
However, a shortfall of 200 MW from central generating stations is expected to be resolved by Tuesday evening, the statement said.
The meeting attributed the sudden spike in demand to increased use of air conditioners, electric vehicle charging during evening hours, and a shift towards induction cooking due to LPG shortages linked to the West Asia conflict.
While demand spikes are mainly observed between 9.30 pm and midnight on certain days, the meeting stressed that the crisis could be managed through responsible consumption with public cooperation.
KSEB urged consumers to avoid charging electric vehicles between 6 pm and 12 midnight and instead shift charging to daytime hours.
It also advised maintaining air conditioner temperatures between 24 and 26 degrees Celsius, limiting usage to essential rooms, and avoiding high-power appliances such as induction cookers, heaters, irons, washing machines, and pump sets during peak hours.
Consumers have also been urged to switch off unnecessary lights to reduce the load.
The meeting further decided to entrust the Energy Management Centre with issuing detailed guidelines on responsible energy usage to help manage the situation.
Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty said the ongoing power crunch was triggered by extreme heat and increased use of induction cookers and air conditioners.
“We could not have foreseen such a situation, including the intensity of the heat or the developments in West Asia,” he told the media when asked whether the government had failed to anticipate the crisis.
He added that Kerala is not alone, with several other states also facing similar power shortages.
The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission recently allowed KSEB to purchase 250 MW of power daily till May 15 after the utility sought approval to meet growing demand.
Amid complaints of undeclared power cuts in several areas over the past few days, the Opposition UDF criticised the ruling LDF’s poll campaign claim of a decade without power cuts.
