The government will be forced to resort to load-shedding or power cut after the SSLC examinations (now on) in the event of a short supply of power being purchased from other States, Power Minister Aryadan Mohammed has said.
Replying to questions in the Assembly on Friday, Mr. Mohammed said that southern States had already introduced power cut and load-shedding, but the Kerala government was striving hard to avert such a situation. Considering the increase in shortfall and rising power demand, the government will be unable to avoid power curbs. The government is weighing various options on imposing a power surcharge of 20 paise per unit from April 1. The government will either have to provide subsidy or have to pass on the burden to the consumer. No decision has been made so far, he said.
The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has succeeded in reducing transmission loss from 22 per cent in 2006 to 15 per cent in 2012, which is the lowest in the country. A new project under the aegis of the Agency for Non-conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT) has been planned to set up biogas units in 200 houses with equal contributions of the Central and State governments as well as the beneficiaries.
