Thiruvananthapuram: Despite mounting public anger over power restrictions, demand has surged nearly 40% from last Sept and remains high until 2am, leaving the hard-pressed KSEB with little choice. The restrictions are likely to continue until at least Sept-end.KSEB sources estimate that the worst of the power crunch will be over by Sept 30, when an additional 600MW is expected to come in. Demand has reached 5,000MW this month, compared with 3,600MW in Sept 2025. KSEB generally forecasts a 5% annual increase in power demand.“The demand for 5,000MW is intimidatingly high and runs against our expectations. Unlike in the past, peak load demand shows no downturn even after midnight. The high demand continues until 2am these days,” a senior KSEB official said.The shortage would not have been this acute had the board’s efforts to finalise power purchase agreements for September materialised, he said. The board had invited tenders thrice for additional power for Sept but could not reach a pact with any generator. The situation also worsened nationally due to heavy rain in states that operate coal-based thermal power units.“Heavy rains have severely affected coal availability and power has become a pricey and scarce commodity in the market. At times, it is totally unavailable,” said Rajan M P, KSEB director (generation). According to him, the board will start getting 600MW from Oct, while the 365MW swap agreement will also come to an end, providing some leeway even if demand remains high.According to senior officials, KSEB’s demand projections have gone haywire, raising questions about the accuracy of its long-term planning and preparations.“The sudden rise in atmospheric temperature is one of the major reasons for the spike in demand. More ACs have been plugged in, while those already in use are running for longer hours than usual. The over 3.6 lakh rooftop solar power-generation units also contribute to the increased consumption. Since prosumers barter the power they generate during the daytime for grid power at night, they are less likely to exercise restraint. Otherwise, demand would not have touched 5,000MW now,” said a senior KSEB official.Prosumers’ organisations, however, point out that the board has already introduced time-of-day (TOD) rates for those who consume more than 250units per month.Keralam’s evening power demand peaked at 5,024MW at 6.44pm on Sept 10, while the morning peak was 4,209MW at 6.46am. The state’s maximum recorded consumption was between 10pm and 10.30pm. The state consumed 96.02 million units (MU) of power that day, with internal generation contributing 27.58MU and net imports accounting for 68.44MU.
