Darkness followed by power tariff hikes in Kerala

Chennai: Kerala Electricity Minister MM Mani on Tuesday (July 9) said that the state will have to impose power cuts within 10 days, as the monsoons are failing in the state.

The announcement came a day after the state hiked the electricity tariff. The water level in the hydro Electric projects have also been decreased. “The crisis can be solved by bringing power from outside. But, the problem is that there are no lines to bring it,” Mani said.

The Idukki dam which is the biggest generator of electricity for supply to the state grid has just 13 per cent water left in the dam.

He also added that, the power cut could extend from 30 minutes to an hour every day. A high level meeting is scheduled to be held on July 15 to review the power prices. With occasional rainfall in the state, the condition could be stable till July 31. But if the pattern of the decreasing monsoon continues, the crisis will worsen, he claimed.

According to a news report published in Malayayala Manorama, the state is largely dependent on hydel power generation with 72% of the total installed capacity of power (2,956.47 MW) coming through this source, generated from various dams in the state.