The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) is seeking permission to continue the ongoing load-shedding schedule till the end of June since the hydroelectric reservoirs have virtually touched the rock-bottom.
Top brass meet
The board’s top brass met here on Wednesday and decided to file a request before the State Electricity Regulatory Commission for permission to take the load-shedding beyond May 31. The existing permission is to impose cyclic load-shedding for one hour load during daytime and 30 minutes during the peak period of power consumption after sunset.
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An official told The Hindu that the KSEB would watch the performance of the southwest monsoon in the initial days of June. If the rain is copious, load-shedding would be withdrawn with the permission of the regulatory commission. Meanwhile, meteorological indications are in favour of the monsoon reaching Kerala earlier than expected.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier forecast the onset of the monsoon over the State on June 3, with a margin of four days’ variation either way. It is already raining in isolated places in the State and the IMD, in its bulletin on Wednesday, said the rain was likely to intensify after May 25.
With load-shedding in position, the daily power consumption in the State is now hovering in the region of 52 million units, down from the level of 58 million units until a few days ago. Power consumption has come down because of the pre-monsoon showers the State is receiving.
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The water storage in all hydroelectric reservoirs put together now comes to only 530 million units. The KSEB has been regulating the daily generation of hydroelectric power to 12 million units, managing the remaining demand by drawing electricity from thermal stations.