Board against lifting of power restrictions

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Thiruvananthapuram: The KSEB has expressed itself against a withdrawal of power restrictions by March end, and feels the electricity regulatory commission’s estimates have gone wide of the mark.
The board estimates that there could be a spurt in consumption by at least 10 percent, which could touch an unprecedented 15 perc ent during peak summer in May, if the restrictions are withdrawn by March. There would be a 5 per cent increase in power consumption during the three months till the end of March, even with the cyclical load-shedding in place.
“Even with the restrictions on energy usage imposed during the months of April and May, 2012, the actual energy demand had increased by 5.50 per cent over the demand approved by the ERC,” the board said, adding, the failure of the south-west monsoon had spiked consumption by 13.23 per cent and 12.87 per cent during June and July, 2012 respectively.
The availability from cost-effective central generating stations, which is at present 23 million units a day, is also set to come down.
The 50 MW from the super thermal plant in Jhajjar, Haryana, will be available only till March, 2013. “Transmission constraints in the southern grid, which affects supply to the state from the southern grid, is expected to continue at least till May,” a KSEB official said. As of now, KSEB could get short-term open access in the range of 100 to 150 MW only.
As a result, the board has to procure about 21 to 23 MU per day from costly sources, including liquid fuel stations and traders, in order to meet the anticipated energy demand. The rate of power from liquid fuel stations hovers between Rs 11 and Rs 12 a unit.