The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Load-shedding from today

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Friday, Jun 27, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Load-shedding from today

Special Correspondent

For 30 minutes between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Poor storage position in reservoirs
An active monsoon phase still not on the cards

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has decided to impose 30-minute load-shedding in the State from Friday.

The load-shedding will be between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., the peak power consumption hours, the KSEB said in a press release on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Electricity Minister A.K. Balan informed the Assembly that the KSEB’s recommendation to the government was to allow it to go for one-hour load-shedding in view of the poor storage position in hydroelectric reservoirs and difficulty in getting the State’s full share of power from the Central grid.

The Cabinet, which met on Thursday, wanted the KSEB to restrict the period of load-shedding to 30 minutes.

The damage sustained by the Moozhiyar power station in a blast last month also had contributed to the present crisis. The Sabarigiri and Kakkad stations downstream the same river too could not be operated now since they need the tailrace flow from the Moozhiyar. These stations together have 350 MW of power-generation capacity.

The State’s peak load demand now is in the region of 2,700 MW, whereas the maximum energy that can be put on the grid is 2,200 MW, Mr. Balan said, explaining the inevitability of imposing the load-shedding.

The State is receiving only between 600 MW and 700 MW of power from the Central grid nowadays, although it has an allocation of 1,041 MW. The thermal power stations in the State (including the Kayamkulam station of the National Thermal Power Corporation) can support the KSEB to the extent of 500 MW.

The KSEB is purchasing the entire quantity of power available from these stations, paying an exorbitant price of Rs.10.68 a unit, he said.

Meanwhile, Thiruvananthapuram Meteorology Centre Director M.D. Ramachandran said the monsoon trough was very much in normal position now. Rainfall will increase in the State in the next couple of days, but an active monsoon phase was still not on the cards.

Rainfall in the State as a whole was 39 per cent deficient during the period from June 1 to 25, according to India Meteorological Department’s latest data. It was 38 per cent deficient in Idukki district, where the State’s big hydroelectric reservoirs are located.

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