Despite monsoon shortfall, Keralam’s hydel reservoirs see storage boost

Despite a persistent shortfall in rainfall this monsoon season, the storage in the reservoirs of Keralam’s hydroelectric power projects have shown considerable improvement in recent weeks.

The combined storage, as on August 28, stood at 63% of the total capacity, or equivalent to 2,601.34 million units (mu). The storage had stood at just 21% on June 26, or equivalent to 871.26 mu, contributing to an unexpected monsoon-season power crisis and forcing the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to impose power curbs on a limited scale in the subsequent weeks.

The storage in the reservoir of the 780 MW Idukki project, Kerala’s largest, stands at 62% at present. Keralam was largely free of the power crisis in August, courtesy an increase in rainfall and the resultant dip in electricity consumption due to the cooler weather. Daily consumption averaged 84.7 mu in August.

To ward off the power crisis, the KSEB had entered into a series of short-term power purchase deals with the approval of the State Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Monsoon deficit

Meanwhile, Keralam continues to run on a deficit with respect to this year’s southwest monsoon rainfall, according to updates from the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The rainfall shortfall stood at 21% for the period from June 1 to August 28. That said, the storage in the reservoirs is still less when compared to that of the same period in previous years. Data with the load despatch centre of the KSEB indicate that it is lower compared to 2022, 2024 and 2025 but higher than in 2023.

According to the KSEB, the State is not yet out of the woods in terms of an electricity shortage. On September 3, the State Electricity Regulatory Commission is set to consider a petition filed by the KSEB seeking approval for power purchases at a higher per-unit cost to meet a projected shortfall in power availability for the period from September 1 this year to May 15, 2027. The projected deficit was “expected to increase substantially during the ensuing summer months (2027 summer), necessitating timely procurement of additional power to ensure uninterrupted supply and to avoid load restrictions in the State,” the petition noted.