The Hindu : Front Page : Load-shedding unavoidable, says Karim

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Load-shedding unavoidable, says Karim

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Industries Minister Elamaram Karim has said that the half-an-hour load-shedding that took effect from Friday was unavoidable as there was a 400 MW shortage in power generation during peak hours on account of delayed monsoon.

Opposing an adjournment motion sought to be moved by Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan (Congress) in the Assembly on Friday, the Industries Minister said the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) had waited till June 25 for the monsoon to arrive before proposing the load-shedding. The hydel reservoirs in the State had water for generating only 371.26 million units of power and this would be sufficient to meet the power requirement for only the coming nine days.

Mr. Karim, who was deputising for Power Minister A.K. Balan, who has gone to Delhi to attend a SC/ST Development Department meet, said the curbs on power consumption could have been delayed if the Moozhiyar hydel power plant, which was under repair following an explosion, was operational. The situation had got aggravated with the Centre cutting down the State’s quota of power from the Neyveli, Ramagundam and Talcher thermal power projects, he added.

Mr. Radhakrishnan, however, alleged that the KSEB was forced to impose the load-shedding on account of over-production using water available in the hydel reservoirs for sale.

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