A harsh drought could spell doom for the power situation in the State, with the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) already struggling to meet the daily power requirements. At the Moolamattom powerhouse of the Idukki hydroelectric project, power generation has been increased since Friday to meet power shortage from other sources, a senior official of the KSEB told The Hindu on Saturday. Kerala’s daily power requirement is 60 mu, and only around 30 mu is produced in the State. The rest is procured from other sources at higher rates. Idukki is normally reserved to meet the power demand during extreme summer season, when the demand peaks. But on Friday, power generation was raised to 9 mu, an increase of 3 mu from the previous day.
Water level
An increase in power generation now could be disastrous in future. The power generation at Moolamattom was decided on the basis of demand and supply factors, including power from outside sources for which the price is high. The water level in the dam on Friday was 2,371.14 ft. Though the water position is slightly better than that of the same day last year, an increase in generation could change the situation within a few days. As per KSEB norms, water level should not come below 2,010 ft and given the power situation now, a severe crisis is in the offing this summer season.
The maximum water level in Idukki this season was 2,385.56 ft on November 14, 2014. In the previous season, the maximum level was 2,391.5 ft. The water level in the dam usually plummets during May/June and if drought continued this season the situation would be precarious, sources at the Dam Monitoring and Research Station here said.
In 1987, 1988, and 1989, the maximum level was very low.
Idukki usually reserved to meet summer demand
Water level in dam usually plummets in May/June
