Cyclical load-shedding in Kerala has brought down consumption of electricity appreciably in the State.
The half-an-hour evening schedule was implemented with effect from Monday. The daily consumption has come down from a peak 62 million units to 53.92 million units as on Tuesday, sources in the Kerala Electricity Board said.
Accordingly, generation at the Moolamattom power station, largest in the State, has been cut back by 30 per cent. Generation from the Idukki hydro-electric project, which Moolamattom services, has also been wound down from 14 million units to 9.1 million units.
The reservoir level at Idukki stood at 2,332.96 feet, lower by 18.14 feet compared to the same time the previous year. It represented 32.31 per cent of the reservoir capacity on Tuesday, which could support generation at the current levels for another 70 days.
Sources are of the view that this is sufficient to sail through the run-up to the monsoon assuming summer showers do not fail the State badly.