Summer heat and LPG crisis lead to power demand spike

Thiruvananthapuram: Power consumption in the state has crossed the expectations of KSEB. The demand for power during the evening peak hours on March 24 reached 5,621MW against the expectation that it would be a maximum of 5,500MW for this month. The board officials are, however, confident of managing the soaring power consumption.According to KSEB officials, there are multiple reasons for the rise in energy consumption this summer. "The state consumed 105 million units of power on Tuesday. The widespread use of induction cooktops, on account of LPG shortage, may be one of the main reasons for the unexpected increase in the demand for power," said a senior KSEB official. The erratic jump in power demand during the past few days was baffling. The peak demand on Sunday was 5,100MW and it jumped to 5,300MW on Monday, before rising on Tuesday, he added. Officials confirmed that KSEB has made arrangements for meeting the rising demand for power throughout this summer. The upcoming IPL season and the ongoing campaign for assembly election and temple festivals are expected to take the power demand further upward in the coming days. "There is power available from outside the state and there are no line issues for bringing power to the state. We have enough water storage to manage the demand spikes. We hope the situation is manageable, provided the catchment area of reservoirs starts getting rains by May 15," said a senior official.