The south-west monsoon so far this year has filled all the major reservoirs to over 90 per cent of their capacity and the medium and small ones are filled to the brim, making the power situation in Kerala comfortable till June 2012, when the next south-west monsoon usually sets in , according to senior State Electricity Board sources.
A similar situation occurred in 2007 when the Idukki storage level rose to 2,400 ft, just four ft below the full capacity, they said. As heavy inflow continues, the water level in this major project might touch the danger mark, necessitating opening of its shutters, they said.
With the current storage, the KSEB will be able to generate 25 million units (mu) daily till June 1, 2012, a senior Board official told
Conservation methods
At present, 26 mu are generated daily from these projects to create enough space for the north-east monsoon inflow so as to avoid any potential spillover, he said.
Through effective conservation methods, he said, the Board is trying to avoid any loss of water from the reservoirs. All the small and medium generating stations are operating in full capacity to avoid spillovers, he said. As the inflow to all reservoirs are still strong, there is a possibility that they might reach their full capacity much before the onset of the north-east monsoon, he said.
He said the current daily demand is at 49 mu. To meet the peak time demand, an estimated 0.4 mu are purchased from the open market at Rs 5 a unit, he said.
No power cut
The present crisis in the Ramagundam thermal plant in Andhra Pradesh due to the Telangana agitation is depriving the State of 100 MW of power daily and, to make up this shortfall, the Board has made arrangements to purchase additional power from the open market, he said.
Consequently, there would not be any power cut this year, he said. The reported power cut in northern Kerala is only for a few days as some maintenance and repair work is under way at Madakkathara in Thrissur, he said.
Protests
The major problems encountered by the Board at present is the absence of adequate transmission lines to evacuate power from other supply sources outside the State and non-availability of enough line staff and workers, officials sources pointed out.
The power crisis in the northern region could be resolved to a great extent when the supply from the Kaiga project in Karnataka is through. The objection to the construction of transmission lines by a section of people in the region has been disrupting it. Consequently, commissioning of the line from Mysore to Areekode (Kozhikode) is being delayed inordinately.
Line from Tamil Nadu
A similar situation exists in the case of the new transmission line from Kudankulam thermal plant in Tamil Nadu. This line has been completed till Edamon and the section from there to Kochi is blocked by farmers who are raising objections. If this line is commissioned, it could be used for lifting power from other supply sources in the event of contingencies, they said.
Apart from this, the agitation by inhabitants in the Kudankulam project area against its commissioning is likely to delay commencement of its operations further, they said.
“The interstate lines to evacuate power are needed during the peak demand period — which is about 3,000 MW whereas the capacity of interstate feeder lines is 1,000 MW only”, they said.