Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 18 (PTI) KSEB said it had imposed brief power restrictions during peak hours on Wednesday night as the state faced an acute shortage of electricity.
In a statement, the Kerala State Electricity Board on Thursday said temporary curbs became unavoidable on Wednesday night to bridge power deficits of 130 MW between 9.30 pm and 10 pm, 470 MW between 10 pm and 11 pm, 400 MW between 11 pm and midnight, and 250 MW between midnight and 1 am.
“Power restrictions during peak hours could not be avoided,” KSEB said, adding that the measures were needed to address the gap between electricity demand and availability.
The board said Kerala recorded its highest electricity demand of 4,756 MW at 7.31 pm on June 17.
KSEB also pointed to low water levels in its reservoirs, saying the reservoirs were at only 21.25 per cent of their storage capacity, compared with 47.22 per cent during the same period last year.
“This crisis has arisen because the expected rainfall during June has not been received,” the board said.
It added that what it described as the El Niño phenomenon had led to higher temperatures across the country, resulting in a significant reduction in electricity availability at the national level.
The latest statement comes a day after KSEB warned that the state might have to impose limited power restrictions between 6 pm and midnight until June 30 because of a sharp electricity shortage.
In its statement on Wednesday, the board said the strengthening of what it described as the El Niño phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean had increased temperatures and electricity consumption across India.
It also said Kerala had started returning electricity borrowed from other states during March and April under an agreement that took effect on June 16.
KSEB had said that although the southwest monsoon reached the state on June 1, temperatures had remained high because rainfall had not intensified sufficiently.
According to KSEB, electricity availability on power exchanges has dropped sharply, making purchases difficult, while efforts to secure additional supplies through medium-term agreements have failed because of the nationwide shortage. PTI TGB SSK
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