Thiruvananthapuram: With a slight improvement in national power availability and a marginal dip in domestic consumption, Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has managed to avoid power restrictions for the past three days. However, the crisis is far from over. Any significant rise in consumption or fall in power availability could trigger restrictions, at least until Oct 15.The availability of coal-based thermal power hasn’t improved significantly across the country as wet coal due to heavy rain in coal-producing states continues to affect power generation, said KSEB sources. The situation is expected to improve in the coming days.“We have arranged 450MW of power —250MW from Madhya Pradesh and 200MW from Bihar— from Oct 15. Presently, these states are supplying power based on availability, and this is helping avoid restrictions. However, a steady supply can be expected only after Oct 15,” sources said.Keralam recorded power consumption of 84.65 million units (mu) on Sept 27, according to system statistics. The state generated 9.63mu internally and imported 75.01mu, with imports meeting nearly 89% of the day’s requirement.Hydel stations accounted for 6.84mu of internal generation, while independent power producers contributed 2.73mu.For Sept so far, internal generation stood at 623.91mu, against consumption of 2,531.73mu. The average daily generation was 23.11mu, while average daily consumption stood at 93.77mu. Net imports during the month totalled 1,907.82mu.The state’s reservoirs held 2,564.41mu of water as on Sept 27, accounting for 62% of their total storage capacity. This was 669.03mu lower than the corresponding figure last year, when the reservoirs held 3,233.44mu.Cumulative inflow into the reservoirs during Sept stood at 397.42mu, while hydel generation was 6.85mu on Sept 27. The storage position highlights Keralam’s continued dependence on power imports amid lower water availability compared with last year.
