Kottayam: Electricity consumption in Kerala has reached record levels, as the state is experiencing a heat wave this summer. With the situation getting worse every day, the power supply is often disrupted. The people are now worried about whether the government would impose load-shedding or hike the electricity charges. K Krishnankutty, the Electricity Minister, explained the government’s position on the issue to ’Manorama Online’.

Load-shedding
“Some restrictions on power supply would be needed after June 10, if the state does not receive good rainfall. People need to exercise self-restraint in using electricity as it is difficult to meet the demand. Many houses that had a single air-conditioner now have even four. But, we will not impose region-specific load-shedding,” said the minister.

Power generation in state
“Kerala generates a mere 20-percent of the power it consumes and the rest is purchased from outside. Nobody in the state will allow new power projects to come up. Even the media is against such moves. Ironically, there is no other state which has so much potential for power generation like Kerala. Even though we have 3000 TMC of water, we utilize only 300 TMC to generate electricity,” Krishnankutty explained.

Self-control by people necessary
The minister appealed to the people to control electricity consumption as power generation declined.

"People are using electricity without any control and transformers are tripping when there is an overload. The power consumption in the state is around 16 times higher than what was earlier. Everyone uses power devices simultaneously during peak time. On weekdays, they come home in the evening and switch on the fridge, grinder and washing machine at the same time, causing tripping of the transformer in the area. But, we don’t face this problem on Sundays,” he said.

“There is no need to change the power use habits of Malayalis. However, we should exercise self-control," he pointed out.

Anticipating rains
If there are no rains in Kerala by June 10, the situation will become precarious in Kerala. At present, Kerala State Electricity Board is purchasing power from outside the state at a high cost.

"We will not be able to meet those expenses after June 10. There will be load-shedding after that date if sufficient rainfall is not received,” the minister expressed his concern.

Power tariff hike
Talking to Manorama Online, the minister noted that any decision on increasing the power tariff has to be made by the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission.

"We have to check the expenses on purchasing power from the open market to evaluate whether the electricity charges should be increased. Currently, we are spending an additional Rs 15 crore a day to buy power from other sources,”  he said.