Twice a day load-shedding in Kerala from Thursday

September 27, 2012 10:48 am | Updated November 17, 2021 04:59 am IST - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

The State will come under 30-minute cyclical load-shedding both during the morning hours and evening hours from Thursday.

The Council of Ministers at its meeting on Wednesday permitted the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to introduce the load-shedding. The KSEB’s request was for permission to go for one hour’s load-shedding both in the morning and evening, but the Cabinet directed the KSEB to restrict the load- shedding to 30 minutes each.

The morning load-shedding will be between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and the evening load-shedding between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Poor monsoon

A top official told The Hindu on Wednesday that the KSEB, because of the poor monsoon this season, had been deprived of the normal inflow of water to its hydroelectric reservoirs. This, along with the constantly increasing demand for energy, had forced the KSEB to approach the government for permission to impose load-shedding.

The KSEB will now file a petition before the State Electricity Regulatory Commission for permission to continue the load-shedding till the “energy availability improved.”

Curbs to continue

The signals are that power supply curbs will continue for quite a few months, but a decision on that will be taken by the regulatory commission after scrutinising the KSEB’s petition and calling public hearings.

The KSEB, according to the official, will also seek the regulatory commission’s permission to restrict the supply of electricity at normal tariff to domestic consumers to a maximum of 200 units a month.

The KSEB will also seek permission to charge the domestic consumers a higher rate than the normal tariff for the energy used by them in excess of 200 units a month. The tariff for the excess consumption will depend on the rate at which the KSEB purchases energy from open market sources. It can go beyond Rs.10 a unit.

Proposal for power cut

The KSEB will also propose to the commission power cut to the extent of 25 per cent of usual power consumption for industries. If the proposal takes effect, the industries will receive only 75 per cent of their usual power consumption at the tariffs applicable to them at present.

For the power consumed above this ceiling, the KSEB’s request would be for permission to charge the industries at the rates at which the KSEB purchases energy from high-cost sources.

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