Thiruvananthapuram: As if the reluctant nature of the southwest monsoon was not enough, KSEB Limited has been badly hit by technical snags in central generating stations, especially in Kudankulam. Result: a shortage of nearly 400 MW of cost-effective power for nearly two months. The state has been allocated almost 1500 MW from 14 central generating stations (CGSs). The shortage, along with some sudden transmission bottlenecks, had forced KSEBL to clamp power restrictions on July 26. If there is steady power in the state at the moment, it is sustained by costly purchases from outside.
The Kudankulam Nuclear Plant has been down since July 5, causing a daily shortage of 266 MW (the state gets 133 MW each from the two units in Kudankulam). “Minor maintenance works in certain other stations has also resulted in a fall in allocation by 120 MW,” KSEBL transmission chief engineer Shaji N. N. said. “We have been constantly asking the Kudankulam officials when at least one unit will resume power generation. From the feedback that we have got it seems operations will be up and running only by the last week of September,” Mr Shaji added.
This means the state will have to make do with costly outside purchases. While the state gets power from CGSs at Rs 2 to 3 per unit, the peak hour rates of power from power exchanges and traders even during this period of power surplus across the country is Rs 6 to Rs 7 per unit. Increasing hydel generation is not an option as KSEBL wants to conserve water in its reservoirs for the next summer. Poor rains have given KSEBL no choice but to limit its daily hydel generation to below 15 million units. Reservoir levels are still alarmingly low, just 35 per cent.
However, KSEBL has struck medium- and long-term agreements with power suppliers to tide over any immediate crisis. KSEBL has estimated that the total power consumption for 2017-18 would be 24,770 MU. To meet to increasing demand, KSEBL had already entered into agreements for 865 MW. Of the contracted power, 315 MW has reached the state during 2016-17 period itself. The remaining 550 MW is expected to flow in from October 1 this year.
