Relief for Kerala consumers as power cuts unlikely today

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There could be some relief for electricity consumers in Kerala today, with the state unlikely to impose power restrictions after securing 1,024 MW of electricity from the real-time market, the office of the Electricity Minister said.

The development comes amid concerns over the state’s power situation and rising demand. A slight dip in consumption, however, offered some additional relief. Kerala used 94.94 million units of electricity yesterday, down from 96.4 million units on Friday. Consumption during peak hours also declined.

With the state continuing to grapple with the power shortage, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) is also looking beyond Kerala for additional support. Board directors will leave tomorrow to hold discussions with officials from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Bihar on securing assistance to meet the state’s power requirements. The decision to approach the other states was taken at a meeting of the KSEB board of directors held this morning.