Power outage in southern states continues

Bangalore State

Karnataka among other southern states  face frequent power-cuts due to networking repairs.

Technical problem in transmission of electricity to the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu caused long power cuts in the states. 

Around 18,000 megawatt energy from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) was halted 

Due to the problem in transmission on April 19, 2022. In 2021-22, the country has gone into a power shortage of 4792 million units (MU). 

Tamil Nadu Minister for Energy V. Senthil Balaji tweeted that the distribution of electricity from the central sector was disrupted and hence the state had to face  shortage. He said that the state was buying electricity from private players to  manage the situation. 

Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) chief engineer, Anand said, “The maximum share that we have from the central sector is about 21 percent. We had severe shortages yesterday and it was difficult to manage. We had to purchase electricity from private players at Rs. 12 per unit.” However, the central government provides it at Rs. 1 to Rs. 5 per unit, Anand added.

In the southern states, the central sector has  around 17,000 megawatt installed capacity.

Similarly, Bengaluru has also gone through frequent power-cuts for the past four days. Chief Engineer of the Karnataka State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) said that the state is going through frequent power-cuts not because of power outages but due to the maintenance of cables.

Students preparing for exams in the states are stressed due to lack of electricity. Class 12 board exams are being conducted in Kerala and Karnataka. Suresh, a class 12 student from Kochi said, “I had my Physics exam today. I am not sure how I wrote my exam. There were frequent power cuts yesterday and studying amidst that gave me headache. So I am doubtful about my performance.”