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G.K. Nair

If the current dry spell continues, the frequency and duration of cyclical power cut and unofficial load shedding might be increased throughout the State in the coming months.

KOCHI, March 7

THE water levels in the reservoirs of all the major, medium and small hydel projects in the State have dropped to an all-time low, forcing the State Electricity Board to substantially reduce power generation.

The water level in Idukki, the State's major hydel project, has fell to almost half of what was there in the reservoir this time last year. With the present water level in this dam, only 425 million units of electricity can be generated. It has the capacity to hold enough water to generate 2,100 million units. The current water level is the lowest since the commissioning of the hydel project in 1976, official sources said.

Similarly, in the State's second major hydel project, Sabarigiri at Moozhiyar, the water level has dropped significantly and with the water available, it can generate only 176 million units. The situation in other hydel projects is not different, officials said.

As a result, the KSEB is compelled to reduce power generation from the hydel projects by 70 per cent and if the dry spell continued in the catchment areas, further reduction in generation could be expected, they said.

Deficient southwest and northeast monsoon this year, especially in the catchment areas, has led to this predicament, the sources said. The current situation has forced the State to resort to draw more power from the central grid apart from purchasing high cost power from the thermal plants.

The daily demand of power at present is 35 million units. Of this, a little over 3 million units are supplied by the BSES plant at nearby Pathalam while over five million units are lifted from the Kayamkulam thermal plant.

The current generation from the hydel projects is estimated at less than 10 million units. The remaining requirement is met from the central grid, the officials said. The diesel power plants of the KSEB are also not being operated to full capacity because of the high cost and the prevailing financial constraints.

Absorption of high-cost thermal power is likely to aggravate further the already fragile financial condition of the Board, the sources pointed out.

The performance of hydel projects depended solely on the vagaries of weather and hence over-dependence on such projects could land the State in serious power crisis whenever the monsoons eluded the State, they pointed out.

Therefore, it is high time that the Government took the initiative to get thermal power plants set up in the State using cheap fuel such as coal/ LNG. Even setting up of coal-based power plants using advanced technology to control pollution to the minimum could be considered. At the same, it would be in the overall interest of the State that efforts are made to revive the proposal of setting up the LNG terminal here, they added.

If the current dry spell continues and without the normal summer showers, the frequency and duration of cyclical power cut and unofficial load shedding might be increased throughout the State in the coming months, the sources said.

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