The State is expected to start receiving an additional 180 megawatts (MW) from central generating stations from Tuesday amid the scramble to tackle the soaring electricity demand in April and May.
The 180 MW round-the-clock (RTC) power is being sourced from the unallocated quota on the basis of a request placed before the Union Power Ministry in March.
This supply is also set to start at a time when tenders floated by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) for the supply of 500 MW to meet the evening peak-demand in April and May had drawn lukewarm interest from power generators.
After a high-level meeting convened by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on March 14 to review the power situation, Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty had written to the Union Power Ministry seeking an allocation from the pool of unallocated quota of Central-sector generating stations. The KSEB has started receiving 25 MW from the the Naitwar Mori project of SJVN Ltd, Himachal Pradesh. In May, Kerala is scheduled to receive 50 MW from this project.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, power consumption fell below 100 million units (mu) for the first time in April, largely on account of the summer rainfall and the Vishu holiday. Consumption on Saturday stood at 98.69 mu and on Sunday, 92.54 mu.
