THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Just when it looked as if some power curbs will be inevitable, it has rained. Daily consumption that had threatened to cross 80 million just a week ago has precipitously dropped to below 75 MU. The water level in reservoirs, which had a fortnight ago shrunk to below 35 percent, has fattened to 40 percent. The Idukki reservoir, for instance, has enough water to generate 818 MU; last summer it was just 425 MU. In short, this will allow KSEB Limited planners to increase hydel production slightly and cut down on outside purchases.
KSEBL’s estimate for this summer is that daily consumption will touch a peak of at least 84 million units. “Now with the summer rains, it looks improbable,” a top KSEBL source said. Still, the fear has not fully lifted. “It is usual for relative humidity to go up after the rains. There will also be overcast conditions to push up humidity. The result of which would be a spike in consumption,” the official said. The surge in power consumption is mainly on account of an increased use of air-conditioners, fans and coolers.
In fact, KSEBL is not unduly worried about consumption hitting the record mark of 84 MU on a day. “The utility wants to hold average consumption during this summer at 76-77 MU. We have found that consumption this summer was higher than during the last two summers,” the official said. Last summer, it was 75 MU.
Smart forward planning will also act as a cushion. Nearly 1200 MW had already been contracted through long-term arrangements. Power has been contracted from power traders outside the state through both the MoU route (450 MW) and bidding (750 MW). In addition, nearly 75 MW will be purchased from traders within the state.
MoUs have been entered into with two units each of Maithon Power Limited in Jharkhand and Damodar Valley Corporation to purchase 450 MW. 150 MW each will be sourced from Maithon at Rs 3.62 per unit. The Damodar Valley power will be costlier, 100 MW at Rs 4.24 per unit and 50 MW for Rs 4.94 per unit. KSEBL has also secured long-term supply of 750 MW from independent power producers. Most of these contracts were signed by the end of 2017, and all would expire only by 2040.
