Thiruvananthapuram: On May 3, Kerala's daily power consumption soared to 116.08 million units, an all-time record. Just a day ago, on May 2, it was 114.32 MU. In the 15 days till May 3, there were seven days when daily consumption crossed 110 MU. In 2023, the highest daily consumption recorded was just 103 MU.

Load-shedding looked imminent. However, except for some targeted localised power curbs, cyclical half-hour power cuts across the state were ruled out. Nonetheless, Kerala State Electricity Board Limited (KSEB) appealed to industrial, commercial and domestic consumers to make slight changes to their power-use behaviour, at least for a fortnight till the summer rains arrive.

This was a time when the public suspicion of the KSEB was at a high. There were innumerable instances of public attacks on KSEB offices across Kerala. Even then, it looks like consumers have responded favourably to KSEB’s call for help. Since May 3, the day of record consumption, Kerala's daily consumption has fallen below KSEB's summer estimate for six days in a row. Importantly, this has allowed KSEB to gradually lessen its dependence on prohibitively costly gas and naphtha based power. 

On May 9, for instance, KSEB did not purchase a single unit of power from gas or naphtha based stations, which a top KSEB official termed a “major summer relief”. 

KSEB's recommendations were only advisory, not obligatory. It only asked industries to rework their night shifts. It advised farmers to avoid pumping (lift irrigation) during nights. Shops and establishments were told to switch off their display boards and other light decorations once they shut down for the day.

For domestic consumers, four simple steps were advised. One, avoid charging of electric vehicles during night; this had extended evening peak hours beyond midnight, to 2 am. Two, leave at least one LED light unused in a house; KSEBL had put out a poster saying that 125 MW would be the daily saving if all homes in Kerala switched off one of their LED lights. Three, avoid the use of washing machines between 6 pm and 12 midnight. Four, make it a habit to switch off the light and fan when you walk out of a room. 

On May 4, the first day after KSEB had put out the SOS, the drop in consumption was only marginally below KSEB's estimate, just a 0.64% drop; from the record high of 116 MU, it fell to 112.6 MU; KSEB had expected 113.24 MU. By May 9, consumption fell precipitously, by 10%, from KSEB's estimate of 111.09 MU. The consumption on the day was just was just 101.13 MU. Heavy summer rains in various parts of Kerala on May 9 also helped in reining in the consumption. 

Fact is, even when summer was at its peak, on days like May 5 and 6 and 7, there was a marked fall in daily consumption that KSEBL attributes to responsible behaviour by consumers.

Before the crisis evolved into a public emergency and KSEB was forced to make a distress call, summer consumption looked beyond the public utility’s control. On May 3, when the record of 116 MU was set, power consumption had shot up by 5% of KSEB's estimate. On May 2, consumption shot up by early 4% of the estimate. In fact for most of April, consumption outran KSEB's estimate. “We normally keep our estimate at a very high level so as not to be caught off guard during summer. But everyday this summer felt like a shock,” a top KSEB official said.

Peak consumption, especially between 6 p.m. and 12 midnight, has also shown an encouraging decline. On May 2, the peak hour consumption was 5797 MW, dangerously close to KSEB's capacity of 5850 MW. In the seven days since, peak demand crossed 5000 MW only thrice but not in a significant way; 5368 MW on May 3, 5054 MW on May 4 and 5093 MW on May 7. 

The storage position in Kerala's reservoirs also look better when compared to last year. The state's largest reservoir in Idukki is 34% full. Last year same time, the storage was only 29%.