No relief in sight: Kerala consumers face longer, unannounced power cuts

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A sudden drop in power supply plunged large parts of Kerala into darkness last night, forcing grid managers to trigger multiple rounds of unscheduled load-shedding across the state. The outages started just after 7:15 PM, leaving residents in most areas without electricity for over 30 minutes at a time, repeatedly throughout the night.

The situation deteriorated fast as the evening progressed. According to grid data, the state initially faced a manageable deficit of 300 Megawatts (MW). However, the shortfall quickly more than doubled, peaking at a massive 700 MW.
This unexpected spike has completely upended the Kerala State Electricity Board’s (KSEB) emergency plans. The utility had previously assured consumers that peak-hour power cuts would be limited to a single 15-to-30-minute window until the 30th of this month. Instead, citizens are now dealing with unpredictable, recurring blackouts that drag on far longer than promised.

Utility officials warn that the state’s power sector is on thin ice. If the monsoon rains do not intensify immediately to replenish hydel reservoirs, the power crisis is expected to take a severe turn for the worse.

With local generation crippled, the state is looking at expensive stop-gap measures to keep the lights on. The State Electricity Regulatory Commission is slated to meet this week to deliberate on an emergency petition seeking approval to procure high-cost power through short-term market contracts.