KSEB must announce power cuts one day in advance, says Regulatory Commission

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) has directed the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to inform consumers about power cuts at least one day in advance. The instruction was included in an order issued on Saturday, which also approved KSEB's request to purchase 200 MW of electricity from two companies to tackle the ongoing power shortage.

According to the Commission, KSEB should be able to estimate the next day's power deficit in advance and prepare a schedule accordingly. It has been asked to assess factors such as weather conditions, power availability, and expected electricity demand before deciding on power restrictions.

If power cuts become necessary, they should be scheduled at the same time every day for a week in a particular area, the Commission said. At present, many parts of Kerala are experiencing unscheduled power outages lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to more than an hour, often without any prior notice. The Commission noted that these unexpected interruptions have caused significant inconvenience to the public.

The Commission also reminded KSEB that it had issued similar directions earlier, asking the board to provide advance notice of power cuts. Since unannounced outages have continued, it has once again instructed the Board to strictly follow the rule.

To address the current power crisis, the Commission asked KSEB to use all possible measures to improve electricity availability. It also directed the board to speed up the implementation of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects for storing solar power. After signing power purchase agreements, KSEB has been instructed to submit all related details to the Commission.