Keralam CM warns state to brace for rising heat and rising power demand as El Niño effect to worsen

Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan. | Photo credit: RK Nithin

Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan has urged the state to prepare for an impending energy crisis as the El Niño factor worsens global climate change. He said Keralam could face relatively high temperatures and a corresponding upward spiral in power demand, which the state will find difficult to meet from October onwards.

Mr. Satheesan has set a one-week deadline for the government to ease the current power crisis that is ravaging the state. He, however, emphasized the need for long-term strategic planning to transform Kerala into a power surplus state. He was speaking to reporters after chairing a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Mr Satheesan identified unprecedented heat induced by climate change, soaring energy demand due to the rise of electric vehicles and air conditioning, depleted hydel storage levels due to a weak monsoon and a national deficit in electricity generation as the drivers of the current crisis. “Air conditioners have ceased to be a luxury in Kerala and have become an inevitable commodity in view of worsening global warming and aging population of the state,” he added.

He blamed the LDF government’s “reckless cancellation” of “tax-beneficial” long-term power purchase agreements signed by the Oommen Chandy-led UDF government with private power suppliers to stave off future shortages in 2011 for precipitating the situation. Mr. Satheesan said that prosumers in Kerala were generating a significant amount of renewable energy, mainly from solar energy.

“However, the previous LDF government failed to build enough storage capacity to tap the full potential of solar power. The UDF will correct the LDF’s mistake. It will build excess storage capacity in years so that the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) can draw on batteries to meet the demand when there is a peak at night,” he said.

Mr. Satheesan said the new hydel projects were not environmentally or financially viable for Keralam. “Renewable energy backed by adequate storage capacity is Kerala’s green energy panacea. UDF will engage the private sector to boost Kerala’s power generation efforts. However, the government has no plans to privatize KSEB, which will remain a public utility,” Satheesan added.

Mr Satheesan said Kerala’s demand for uninterrupted, high-quality power will rise as the UDF government taps into the latest developments in artificial intelligence, including data centers and electronic chip design and manufacturing, with the help of global private investment.

Satheesan said the government is negotiating a long-term power purchase agreement with various states as well as the country’s public sector thermal and nuclear power generation behemoths.

“Unlike neighboring states, including Tamil Nadu, the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission caps the cost at which states can purchase electricity from private and public sector suppliers, including states like Odisha and Himachal Pradesh,” he said.

Satheesan said that the power crisis is not limited to Kerala. “Even the BJP-ruled states, which have unblemished fiscal and administrative support from the central government, are plagued by power shortages due to deficit generation and surge in demand,” he added.

Published – 16 Sep 2026 14:13 IST