Keralam Power Consumption Shatters All-Time Records; Minister Assures No Power Cuts or Tariff Hike

Thiruvananthapuram: Even as electricity consumption in Keralam surges to historic highs driven by an intense summer heat wave, Minister of electricity K Krishnankutty has assured that the state will face no power crisis, no tariff hike, and no load shedding. Speaking to a private media outlet, the Minister said the state would purchase additional power from outside to meet the rising demand, and added that an emergency review meeting has been convened for tomorrow.

As temperatures climbed to 40°C, Keralam's power consumption on Monday reached 11.21617 crore units — an all-time high. Peak demand also shattered records, touching 5,933 MW on Monday evening, surpassing the previous record of 5,836 MW set on March 26. Significantly, what was once a peak demand window of 6 pm to 10 pm has now extended well past midnight, with consumption dropping below 5,000 MW only after 2 am.

To meet Monday's demand, Keralam purchased 86.014 million units (4,270 MW) from outside the state, while domestic generation stood at 26.147 million units (1,669 MW). Of the domestically generated power, 10.56 million units came from the Idukki hydroelectric project alone, with an additional 2.223 million units contributed by solar and wind sources.

Despite consumption far outpacing projections and calculations, the state has managed to avoid power restrictions entirely.