As June comes to an end, the southwest monsoon has not brought any cheer to Kerala’s power sector, which continues to grapple with peak demand shortages.

The combined storage in the reservoirs of hydroelectric projects managed by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) stood at 21% of the capacity on June 26, or equivalent to generating 871.26 million units (mu). The storage for the day is the second lowest in recent years.

On June 4, the day when the annual southwest monsoon officially arrived in Kerala, the combined reservoir storage was just 17%, equivalent to 721.11 mu. Load dispatch centre data show the situation has not improved much.

Given the situation, the KSEB has been forced to keep hydel generation, especially from the 780 MW Idukki project, down to a minimum. The daily generation from all the hydel reservoirs combined have averaged just 11.7 mu this month. With daily consumption averaging 88 mu in June, power imports from outside the State has remained crucial. Imports have averaged 74.3 mu on a daily basis.

According to the latest India Meteorological Department (IMD) updates on seasonal rainfall, Kerala has recorded a rainfall deficiency of 36% for the June 1-June 27 period. All districts except Thiruvananthapuram and Pathanamthitta have reported deficient rainfall for the period.

Recently, the KSEB had sought the State Electricity Regulatory Commission’s approval for short-term power purchases to bridge peak demand shortages for the period from June 15 to December 31, excluding September. The commission’s decision on the petition is awaited.