Keralam power crisis: daily consumption touches 99 million units on two consecutive days

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Daily electricity consumption in Keralam touched 99 million units (mu) on two consecutive days, arguably the highest recorded in the month of September in the State.

On September 17 (Thursday), the consumption was recorded at 99.92 mu, while it stood at 99.43 mu on September 18 (Friday), according to the Kerala State Electricity Board’s (KSEB) load despatch centre data.

Peak demand on September 17 stood at 5,305 megawatts (MW) and 5,348 on September 18. Around 80% of the demand on September 18 was met through electricity imports from outside the State, with internal hydropower generation hobbled by the weak southwest monsoon.

For comparison, consumption on September 17 and September 18 in 2025 stood at 86.37 mu and 85.5 mu respectively.

The KSEB said that although the consumption was high on Thursday and Friday, the utility was able to avoid power curbs as electricity availability was relatively better. The deficit in terms of peak demand was on the lower side. However, the utility anticipated a much higher deficit on Saturday, and had announced that curbs were likely between 6.15 p.m. and 12.45 a.m.

According to the KSEB, the combined storage in hydel reservoirs was 61.35%, against 78.01% during the same time last year.

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