Copious rains bring relief to Kerala State Electricity Board

Heavy rains have brought relief to Kerala State Electricity Board, enabling it to start selling the 'occasional surplus' power it gets outside the state.
KSEB had imposed a one-hour power cut for all categories of consumers in the state during the summer season. It was lifted only at the fag end of May.
Most of the hydel reservoirs of KSEB has more than 60 per cent water level which has the capacity to generate 2,467.21 million units and there was a good inflow of water to these dams, sources said.
KSEB has started selling the 'occasional surplus' power which has during off-peak hours and so it comes to about 50 to 100 mw, official sources said. Surplus power occurs depending upon the demand pattern.

During the night time and other off-peak hours, there was surplus as the generation of power has to continue. However, the sales do not mean that the state has overcome the power crisis or shortage, the sources said.
The peak demand was about 3100 MW while total power generation was only 2300 MW. The deficit is made up through Central supply and power purchases, the sources pointed out.

But during the off-peak hours the KSEB has surplus power. With the hydel reservoirs full and demand during the off-peak time low, the KSEB has few other options, but sell power.
Power generation from hydroelectric projects accounts for bulk of the power in KSEB's grid, with supply from thermal plants and small, small and micro projects and non- conventional sources contributing just a minor portion of demand required.

The monsoon this season not only set in over Kerala promptly on June 1, the state received 40 per cent excess rainfall so far. In Idukki, where the biggest hydel power project situated, received 50 per cent excess rainfall. As per IMD records, the state received 1502.9 mm rainfall since June 1 to July 17, in place of its normal rainfall of 1076.2 mm.
Last year, the total rainfall received by the state was deficient by 24 per cent during the south-west monsoon and 35 per cent during the northeast monsoon period.
Deficiency in rainfall pushed the state into one of its worst power crisis, forcing the government to clamp 90 minutes load shedding, half of which was during peak hours in the evening and curbs in consumption by non-domestic consumers.