Thiruvananthapuram: With the monsoon weakening after the initial burst, KSEB Limited has put further curbs on the use of hydel power.
KSEBL now uses its hydel resources for just about 30 per cent of its daily power requirement of 62 million units. During the monsoon season it is usual for KSEBL to derive at least 25 million units from its hydel stations.
Top KSEBL sources said that the utility was conserving water for future use, especially for the post-monsoon season.
Already, water level in its reservoirs has dropped. The average water level in all its dams is only 50 per cent.
Water level in Idukki, the state’s largest reservoir, stands at 46 per cent of its total capacity. During monsoon, the Idukki reservoir will be at least three-quarters full.
Right now, Idukki does not have water to produce the electricity it could produce last year same time.
Though nature has been unsupportive in the form of a truant monsoon, many other factors have worked to the advantage of KSEBL.
Its middle- and long-term agreements with power traders have ensured that the state would have an unceasing supply of power at a relatively low cost for at least five more years.
This has allowed the utility to do away with costly naphtha and diesel power. For almost a year KSEBL did not feel the need to place orders with any of the costly sources like Kayamkulam NTPC, Karnataka Power Corporation Limited, and Brahmapuram and Kozhikode diesel plants where the prices are above '5 per unit.
What’s more, nearly 70 per cent of its daily needs are met from central generating stations where the average cost is below Rs 4 per unit.
Daily consumption, too, has not shown a marked rise compared to the monsoon period last year. “This is surprising because not only has the monsoon weakened but there is also the consumption-spiking Olympics factor. Indian events at Olympics take place during the peak hours,” a top KSEBL official said.
