Hydel power has looked up a tad this week in Kerala as the State is grappling with over 56% drop in South West monsoon rainfall. At the same time the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has not eased on its caution over stepping up production in the recently repaired Moolamattam power station.
The forecast is that thundershowers are likely to occur this week almost in all parts of Southern Peninsula. Monsoon has become active again in spite of West Pacific typhoon – referred to by Met department as Fung-wong – moving towards eastern China.
In Idukky, KSEB?s flagship hydel reservoir, the level is up by 2.5 ft in a single day. On Monday alone water – sufficient to produce 40.34 million units of power – flowed into the reservoirs. But the Moolamattam power station at Idukky continued to trim down its production, yielding just 2.2 million units on Monday.
KSEB sources said that this was to store the maximum water at Idukky main reservoir as all its small satellite dams are overflowing in the recent monsoon flush. KSEB has already clamped 30 minutes loadshedding for domestic consumers and 25% thermal power surcharge in HT and extra HT consumers.
While hydel power costs only 85 paise per unit, buying thermal power through Power Trading Corporation has been costing most SEBs (State Electricity Boards) as much as Rs 12 per unit.
The deficit in South West monsoon rainfall this year so far is as high as 56.25%. During May 31 to June 30, first leg of monsoon, Kerala usually gets 560 mm rainfall. The rainfall in the corresponding period this year is only 245 mm.
As much of 60% of State?s rainfall offtake is usually from South West monsoon in the June to September period.
The worst affected SEBs are those in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Assam.
Andhra Pradesh is already gearing up for shutdown on industrial activity in the State on specified days during the week while others are gearing up with similar measures to tide over the shortages.