LOAD SHEDDING DECLARED IN KERALA

A power shortage in Kerala due to a fall in supply from the central pool has forced the state government to announce 30-minute load-shedding for all categories of consumers between 6.30 pm and 10.30 hours from Monday,3rd October,2011.. Making a statement in the State Assembly on the power situation under Rule 300, Power Minister Aryadan Muhammed said there was about a 400-MW shortfall in electricity supply from the Centre due to a decline in production at the Ramagundam power plant following the Telengana agitation and problems at the Neyveli (Tamil Nadu) and Talcher (Orissa) power plants.

'The total power requirement of Kerala during peak hours and the daytime is 2,900 MW and 2,300 MW, respectively,' he said. Supply during peak hours from the power plants of the Kerala State Electricity Board was nearly 1,600 MW and another 680 MW is available from the central pool, he said. In addition, though the fuel cost was high, KSEB has arranged for 64 MW of additional supply from the Kozhikode thermal plant and 85 MW from the Brahmapuram thermal plant during peak hours, he said.

                                                                   Prof. John Kurakar