Rs 13000 crores required to purchase electricity; Peak hour electricity consumption in Kerala breaks 2024 record

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the state's electricity consumption soaring, the amount spent on electricity purchased from outside will also increase significantly.

According to the figures for 2024-25, the cost of purchasing 25554.51 million units of electricity was Rs. 12930.60 crore. This time, the amount is expected to cross Rs. 13000 crores.

With the disruption of the four long-term contracts of 465 MW, electricity is being purchased at high prices. In 2024-25, the cost of purchasing electricity from central generating stations was Rs. 5312.53 crore. Rs 1880.172 crore was spent on purchasing through exchanges. More than Rs. 1200 crore was spent on purchasing through short-term contracts. Although the price of electricity during peak hours was higher, the average price of electricity purchased was Rs. 5 per unit. About Rs. 1260 crore was also spent on transmission charges to deliver electricity. KSEB clarifies that there is no crisis in the availability or distribution of electricity.

The price of electricity purchased from outside for peak demand changes frequently.

In May 2024, when electricity consumption reached a record, a surcharge of Rs 28.15 crore was levied. This time, by the end of March, electricity consumption surpassed the record of 2024.

Earlier, there was a limit of 10 paise per surcharge unit. Recently, the Regulatory Commission removed this limit as requested by the government. The peak usage between 6 pm and 10:30 pm has set a new record in recent days. The previous record was in May 2024. At that time, the peak usage was 5797 MW, and the daily consumption was 115 million units.