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Kerala could be heading towards a deeper power crisis owing to a weak monsoon coupled with insufficient local hydel generation and further cuts in Central supply.With the Central power supply to Kerala slashed by more than 600 MW in recent days, the KSEB is spending an additional Rs 4 crore a day in buying costly thermal power, Electricity Minister A.K. Balan has said.

“We’re now purchasing power from the Power Exchange via the Power Trading Corporation at Rs 8.50 a unit every day. Now the State is receiving only around 400 MW from the Central Generating Stations (CGS). The situation is very bad,” Balan said. The State’s due from the Central pool a day is 1,041 MW, but this has been swinging between 600 and 700 MW in recent months and was further slashed to 400 MW. At present, the overall power consumption in the State is averaging 42 million units a day, which is about 7 million units above the normal.

In fact, the KSEB had recently told the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission that the daily consumption is projected to touch 52 million units by March 2009.

In fact, the hydel stations in the State are currently generating only 15 million units a day, Balan said. “We can generate, say, some three or four million units more if they are used to full capacity. But we need to conserve water-levels in the hydel reservoirs up to June 1.”

The Sabarigiri hydel station, the second biggest in the State, has been limping along after the blasts last March.At present, only two machines are operating fully. A third one will be thrust into service only in December, the Minister said.

Courtsey- Indian Express