KSEB plans power purchase to avert load-shedding, surcharge hike imminent

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission will assess the need for purchasing additional power to prevent load-shedding in April and May. The assessment will take place on Wednesday, January 17.

The commission has planned to purchase 200 megawatts of power at the rate of Rs 8.69 per unit from three companies. This will cause an additional financial burden to the consumers as a surcharge.

Though the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) had floated tenders to purchase 250 megawatts, it would get only 200 megawatts.

The Kerala power body has recently restored four power agreements, enabling the purchase of 465 megawatts of electricity at Rs 4.29 per unit from sources outside the state. However, these suppliers have stepped back from their promise.

In the current condition, KSEB would be forced to impose load-shedding in summer if power is not purchased from external sources. Approval of the Regulatory Commission is also required to sign the new purchase agreement.

Though a bid to purchase power again from the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) based on the two existing agreements exerted pressure on the Union government, the efforts have not reached anywhere.

Meanwhile, the power body was accused of its delay in taking action against the companies who stepped back from the earlier purchase agreements.

The Central Electricity (Amendment) Act has mandated all distribution companies to bring their deficit below three per cent. However, this does not apply to Kerala, where the deficit is already below three per cent. However, the KSEB has an additional carry-over dues of about Rs 7,000. Purchasing power at a higher price from outside would increase the deficit and the consumers would have to share the burden. The only solution, it seems, is to increase domestic power generation.