The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) has approved a set of short-term power purchases proposed by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) from September to December this year and in March 2026, subject to the condition that the utility reassesses the State’s electricity demand for the period from September 2025 to May 2026.
In an order on Friday, the KSERC expressed its serious reservations regarding the KSEB’s proposals for power purchases to manage the power deficit from September 2025 to December 2025 and March 2026 to May 15, 2026.
It did not approve the proposals for April and May 2026, stating that they will be considered only after the KSEB submited revised estimates on the electricity demand and power deficit within 30 days.
The KSERC estimated that the power purchase proposals for the six-and-a-half-month period entails a financial commitment of ₹ 684 crore. “In the month of April-2026 alone, the total financial commitment is about ₹ 245 crore,” the Commission observed.
The KSEB had cited the 2025 local body polls, the 2026 Assembly elections, the school examinations in March 2026 and the scheduled maintenance at the Moolamattom power station of the Idukki power project in November this year to cause a spike in demand.
Considering the urgency of the situation, the KSERC has approved the following month-wise procurements for meeting the peak-hour demand, subject to the aforementioned conditions: procurement up to 400 MW at₹ 9.20 per unit in September, procurement up to 300 MW at ₹7.97 per unit in October, up to 200 MW at ₹7.47 per unit in November and up to 200 MW at₹7.46 per unit in December.
It has also allowed procurement of 300 MW round-the-clock power at 5.40 per unit in March in view of the public examinations.
Published – August 08, 2025 07:25 pm IST
