Kerala is expected to break records for electricity usage as daily temperatures suddenly rise over 35C. On April 19, of the previous year, the state’s consumption reached a record high of 102.9 million units (MU). Consumption is surging as the state experiences circumstances akin to a heat wave, exacerbating the KSEB’s problems.
On February 21, the board was compelled by increasing demand to contact the national grid in order to guarantee power supply when daily usage surpassed 95 MU. “It seems like a catastrophe is coming. electricity Minister K Krishnankutty said, “I’ve called a meeting of senior officials to talk about how to resolve the situation and to investigate the availability of power from the national grid.”
Temperature increases are attributed to El Niño and the effects of climate change, according to meteorologists. This time, Kerala did not suffer winter, with the exception of a few weeks of mild weather in hill areas like Munnar and Wayanad. The temperature began to rise shortly after the Northeast monsoon withdrew.
Kerala’s daily electricity usage, which typically averages 75 MU, has increased by as much as 20 MU in the last few weeks. In October, KSEB started reducing generation because to a deficient Southwest monsoon, anticipating a severe summer. Sources claim that the water levels in the main reservoirs are presently comparable to those of the previous year. According to a KSEB official, “We anticipated high demand during the summer season following the deficit monsoon and have been operating the hydel projects on conservative mode since October.” ~
Power usage
in the last five days
February 19, MU 92.45
February 20, MU 93.76
Feb. 21, 95.22 MU
February 22, 94.87 MU
February 23, 92.83 MU
Major reservoir storage
Idukki 53 percent
Sabarigiri sixty-five percent
66% Sholayar
Idamalayar 56 percent
47% of Banasura Sagar
22 MU’s power output
“During times when prices were low, we actively bought electricity from the national grid. This made reservoir levels comparable to those of the previous year. The idea was to guarantee summertime peak availability of hydroelectric electricity. But with the temperature so high, consumption went above and above predictions, the official said.
The amount of hydrogen electricity generated has increased to 22 MU from 10 MU during the first week of February. Through the long-term power purchase agreement, the state receives 16 MU, while central producing units provide 26 MU. Six MU are obtained via short-term purchases, while four MU are obtained through swap agreements. Three MU are acquired via open access and ten MU are purchased from the real-time market. The real-time market is where power is bought for around $9–10 per unit.
Saturday’s maximum temperature*
Punalur: 38.2 (Kollam)
Palakkad: 37.
Alappuzha: 36.3
35.6 in T’Puram City
Airport Kannur: 35.4
Kozhikode: 35.8
Kannur: 34.5
Thrissur’s Vellanikkara: 34.4
CIAL for Kochi: 34.3
Kochi City: 31.4