Kerala Power Crunch Intensify as Daily Consumption Hits 10-Year High

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala recorded its highest average daily electricity consumption for the month of July in the last 10 years, with demand rising by around 12 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year, official figures said.The surge in power consumption comes at a time when the state is grappling with power shortages, forcing the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to impose power cuts in several parts of the state.

The KSEB said in a Facebook post on Saturday that the comparatively higher increase recorded in 2019 should be viewed in the context of the unusually low electricity consumption during 2018, when the devastating floods had significantly reduced power demand.

Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph had recently attributed the present power crisis to deficient rainfall and falling water levels in reservoirs, which have adversely affected hydel power generation, even as electricity demand has risen due to higher temperatures.

The situation was not unique to Kerala and was being experienced across the country, the minister had said.

Joseph also said Kerala was currently repaying the electricity it had borrowed from other states during March and April this year, adding that power restrictions were likely to continue for the time being as the government explores measures to address the supply-demand gap.

Earlier in the day, BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar alleged that the recurring power cuts in the state were "man-made" and reflected the UDF government's failure to address the growing electricity demand.

In a social media post, Chandrasekhar rejected the state government's claim that the outages were primarily due to poor rainfall and low water levels in dams.

"This is not nature's fault. It is man-made. It is the UDF government's outright failure," he alleged.