That the monsoon has not yet turned in a soaker has scuppered the best-laid plans of not just the soccer fans in Kerala but also of the State Electricity Board.
Lack of rains is threatening to disrupt the live telecast of FIFA World Cup matches in a State that depends on its hydel generators for no less than 70 per cent of its power supply.
The board’s cup of worries is running over as a deficient run of the monsoon till today has left storage at its largest hydel reservoir at Idukki at merely 16 per cent.
The board had seemed to rise to the occasion when it tweaked the evening load-shedding suitably to let the soccer-crazy State watch World Cup matches live without interruption.
According to the original schedule, load-shedding was to be valid for 45 minutes to one hour during peak hours between 6.30 p.m. and 11.15 p.m. in different parts of the State.
As many as 24 World Cup matches, including two quarter finals, have been scheduled for the 9.30 p.m. slot (Indian Standard Time).
Given the load-shedding schedule, soccer fans would not have been able to watch the matches unless they had back-up power available.
Sporting board
But the board showed how a sport it was by limiting the load-shedding schedule from 6.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m for the benefit of soccer fans.
It merely hoped that the fans would return the gesture by taking care to cut consumption during the rest of the day.
But it seems they too have largely refused to play ball with consumption trends not indicating any signs of caution or discretion for the board to take comfort from.
Consumption after 9.30 p.m. has actually shot up beyond the best hopes of the board, according to an official spokesman.
Peak demand
The board has had to put generators at a few smaller hydel stations working overtime to meet this demand.
The State has a peak demand of around 3,800 MW but its own supplies are limited to no more than 2,000 MW. It has to rely on costly liquid-fired power acquired from outside agencies.
That the monsoon has not been kind enough to the board has made matters only worse. The sultry weather has actually made fans and air-conditioners being switched on for extra hours.
According to the spokesman, the board will watch the rainfall trend for the next 15 days. Any major reverse will force it to ‘weigh various options’ for limiting the demand.