Record 5,400 MW Demand Strains Keralam's Grid as CM Orders Emergency Power Measures

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan chaired an emergency review meeting of senior officials on Friday to assess the ongoing power crisis in Keralam and issued directions for "immediate, high-priority" measures to ease the strain on consumers.

The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Bishwanath Sinha and Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) chairperson and managing director M.G. Rajamanickam. It was convened amid mounting complaints over unscheduled and repeated power restrictions being imposed across the State, as electricity demand reached unprecedented levels.

The KSEB has already operationalised its Outage Management System (OMS) to inform consumers in advance about power restrictions, Mr. Rajamanickam said, adding that efforts were on to widen its reach.

How the alert system works

Under the existing arrangement, information from substations and sections is coordinated through the KSEB's internal application and the OMS. Engineers assess the extent of the shortage and decide how much load management is required at each distribution transformer. Consumers connected to the affected transformers are then identified and alerted about the likely timing of restrictions.

The board is also developing a separate application for consumers whose registered mobile numbers are unavailable or belong to another family member. The proposed system will allow a consumer to enter their consumer number or registered mobile number and find out which feeder or transformer serves them and when restrictions are expected.

Record demand, limited supply

Explaining the severity of the situation, Mr. Rajamanickam said Keralam's peak demand touched a record 5,400 MW on Thursday, while the KSEB had only about 4,200 MW available for supply. In September last year, the State's average demand was a much lower 4,224 MW.

He linked the shortfall to a nationwide deficit of nearly 12,000 MW, which has prompted other States to decline to sell power under the present circumstances. "With no immediate option for power purchase, we are left with no choice but to streamline our existing resources," he said.

Appeal for voluntary conservation

The KSEB chief appealed to the public to collectively reduce electricity consumption between 7 p.m. and midnight to help avoid further restrictions. The State needs to bring down peak demand by roughly 900 MW through voluntary conservation, he said. Consumers were urged to avoid unnecessary use of air-conditioners and to postpone electric vehicle charging and other non-essential loads to later hours.

Mr. Rajamanickam said the KSEB had been transparent about the crisis and was taking steps to address both the immediate shortage and longer-term power availability requirements.

He added that he had spoken to his counterparts in Tamil Nadu and other southern States to assess their power position. Many of them were also facing shortages of 2,000 MW to 3,000 MW, he said, though restrictions were a more familiar occurrence there.

Keralam, he observed, was experiencing the problem more acutely because such extensive restrictions were relatively new to consumers in the State.

What it means for consumers

The measures announced so far focus on managing demand rather than adding supply, since fresh power purchases are not immediately available. For households, the practical effect is that restrictions may continue during peak evening hours unless consumption falls. The board has said advance alerts will be expanded so that consumers can plan their usage better.

Officials did not specify how long the restrictions would last, but indicated that the situation would depend on the State's ability to secure additional power and on how far voluntary conservation reduces peak demand.