Electricity usage between 6-10 pm will cost more in Kerala; KSEB mulls price hike

PALAKKAD: KSEB is gearing up for the tariff hike as part of solving the power crisis in the state. State Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty admitted to pondering moves to increase tariff rates during the daytime and peak consumption hours during the night. The idea is to reduce the rate of daytime use.

There are no other technical barriers to hinder the price hike and most houses in Kerala now have smart meters, hence it will not be difficult to distinguish the unit used at different times. The highest power consumption is during night hours. The government is also eyeing the peak consumption hours during the night for the proposed price hike.

Most of the houses in the state are unoccupied during daytime hours. The electricity consumption is very limited during these morning hours and even if the rate is reduced, KSEB will fail to bring any lucre to the coffers.

But between 6 pm to 10 pm, most of the houses are occupied and electricity consumption is high. KSEB will also be able to overcome the dissent by reasoning the ‘few hours’ assigned for the price hike rather than the earlier proposed move to increase tariff rates without any specific conditions, which triggered massive protests.

Discussions to set up a nuclear power plant in Kerala have reached nowhere. K Krishnankutty said that even if the nuclear power plant is set up outside the state, Kerala will get the electricity share. Matters like setting up a nuclear power plant are political and require a broad discussion within the LDF front.