Kerala rain: Ongoing wet spell brightens State’s hydel storage prospects

KSEB gets relief as wet spell brings storage in hydel reservoirs in Kerala to 45%. Combined storage in reservoirs improved from 37% in mid-Aug to 45% on Thursday. Storage still low compared to same day in 2020, 2021 & 2022. Rainfall revival in 2nd week of Sept. helped situation. KSEB still dependent on power imports & purchases to meet daily demand. Extended rainfall forecast till Oct 5.

The current wet spell has brought some relief to the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), with storage in the hydel reservoirs in Kerala displaying signs of improvement for the first time in weeks.

The combined storage in the reservoirs stood at 45% on Thursday, an improvement from the almost-stagnant 37% recorded since mid-August, according to Kerala State Load Despatch Centre data.

The present storage, equivalent to 1,878.71 million units (mu), is still low compared to the storages on the same day in 2020 (3,191.2 mu), 2021 (3,252.26 mu) and 2022 (3,457.66 mu). Nonetheless, the increased inflow into the reservoir provides a breather for the KSEB which has been battling supply shortages for the best part of the current, rainfall-starved monsoon season.

When the 2023 southwest monsoon season started on June 1, the combined storage was as low as 20% (adequate to generate only 846.6 mu). By mid-August, storage had crept up to only 37%, with all 14 districts of Kerala reporting deficient rainfall.

The situation began improving only by the second week of September, with the monsoon showing signs of a revival. At present, storage in the reservoir of the 780 MW Idukki project has risen to 35% and that of Pampa, reservoir for the 340 MW Sabarigiri project, to 49%, indicate the load despatch centre data.

That said, Kerala is still dependent on power ‘imports’ and purchases to meet the daily demand. A wary KSEB is still maintaining internal hydel generation at a minimum (around 10 mu a day) so as to conserve storage for the months ahead. With relatively cooler weather prevailing, daily consumption levels have dipped to 78-80 mu on an average.

Much of the replenishment of storage in Kerala’s hydel dams occur during the June-September southwest monsoon season. The contribution of the northeast monsoon season, lasting from October to December, in this regard is considerably less.