Power cuts due to lack of electricity supplied from other states, Kerala minister says

Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph said on Friday that Kerala has been experiencing power outages during night hours due to lack of electricity supplied from other states.

Speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Mr. Joseph said that electricity was available at around 45 paise per unit during the day but was unavailable at night, though the government was ready to buy at ₹10 per unit.

“The electricity we borrowed from the northern states during March and April must now be returned. About 400 MW of power needs to be returned,” he said.

The Minister said that power generation from Kerala’s hydel projects has declined due to low reservoir levels.

“Last year, the storage in the reservoir during this period was around 47%. Now it is just 21%. Rainfall this year has also been low. Even then, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) buys all available power from other states,” he said.

Mr. Joseph said the state could not purchase electricity above ₹10 per unit due to regulatory limits.

“The electricity market is highly competitive. We cannot buy electricity at more than ₹10 per unit. We are trying to manage the situation,” he said.

The Minister rejected the suggestion that power regulation is deliberately introduced during the telecast of the World Cup matches.

“It was not possible to purchase electricity during these hours of the night. We have no electricity storage facility,” he said.

He said solar power could significantly supplement the daytime power supply, but large-scale nighttime battery storage systems have yet to become widely operational.

“We don’t have any facility to conserve electricity for use at night. Several projects have been initiated. New technologies are needed for this and we are working on them,” he said.

Mr. Josef appealed to the public to voluntarily reduce electricity consumption.

“In my residence, I switch off lights that are not necessary. I recently saw a video of electricity being wasted in a municipal office. I request everyone to use electricity carefully,” he said.

He said buying more electricity from outside would remain the only option if power shortages worsened.

The minister also said that KSEB entered into a long-term agreement during the tenure of former electricity minister Aryadan Mohammed to purchase 465 MW of electricity at ₹ 4.69 per unit from a private company.

He said the matter is now before the Supreme Court and KSEB has hired senior advocate Kapil Sibal to represent it. The case is likely to be heard next month, he added.

Published – 26 Jun 2026 21:06 IST