'No load shedding in Kerala for now'; Minister credits yesterday's rainfall

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There will be no load shedding in the state for now, said Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty. He said the situation has improved due to the availability of 250 MW of power through the power exchange and the recent rainfall. He said the situation is likely to remain stable if the favourable weather continues, but warned that load shedding may be required if conditions turn unfavourable.

The minister also said that recent power outages in some areas were caused by overloading, which led to tripping. He was speaking to the media after a meeting with members of the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission.

He said it was the regulatory commission that delayed the petition to purchase power from outside.

“The regulatory commission should explain why the process was delayed. The KSEB was expecting approval to buy power from outside. Later, an intervention was needed to get the approval. The commission has the responsibility to make quick decisions on KSEB’s requests. There is no load shedding in the state at present. Power cuts are happening only when there is overload and the systems trip,” he said.

Load shedding had been announced in the state yesterday. However, KSEB later said it would not be needed for long. The minister’s statement comes soon after that update. KSEB also said the current power shortage is only about 200 MW, and that 200 MW of power has started coming from the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant.