Keralam CM warns State to brace for rising heat, surging power demand

…side. Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph had said on Wednesday that the State was exploring various avenues for securing emergency supplies to meet the demand. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan had said on Wednesday that the government intended to draw up plans for meeting the higher electricity demand anticipated during the period from October 2026 to June 2027 . Published - September 17, 2026 01:11 pm IST…

Keralam is seriously looking at the feasibility of floating solar projects and pump storage facilities in the long run to address the power demands , Sunny Joseph, State Electricity Minister has said. The power crisis can be addressed with innovative projects that are feasible given the State’s unique geographical and climatic conditions, he said at a round-table…

…pump storage facilities, and developing community level battery storage systems with the help of local self governing bodies, he said. There is tremendous potential for floating solar projects in the State and it has the capacity to produce 2,000 MW power through floating solar facilities , said M.R. Narayanan, who pioneered India’s concrete-based floating solar projects on the Banasura Sagar reservoir in Wayanad. The government should formulate a single windows clearance approach for the timely…

…concrete-based floating solar projects on the Banasura Sagar reservoir in Wayanad. The government should formulate a single windows clearance approach for the timely implementation of such energy projects, he said. Conservation of energy should be integrated into policy level as it is the most practical and immediate solution for the present energy crisis in the State , said M.G. Rajamanickam, Chairman and Managing Director of KSEB. With more households installing rooftop solar systems, consumers are not aware of the energy consumption. This calls for a system to notify consumers…

…in households with infants and sick members, hospitals and old-age homes, and incited public anger against the administration. Chief minister VD Satheesan, at a press briefing in the state capital on Wednesday, said the crisis is expected to be brought under control within a week as the government is holding talks with several states and suppliers to purchase power at reasonable tariffs. KSEB chairman MG Rajamanickam flew to Delhi on Wednesday evening to hold talks with the chairman of Nuclear Power Corporation of India, hoping to sign agreements to purchase power to tide over the crisis. Notably,…

…had involved the purchase of power from two sources -- 115 MW from Jhabua Power Ltd at ₹4.15 a unit and 350 MW from Jhabua Jindal Power Limited at ₹4.29 a unit. However, Vijayan has rejected the allegations. He said the agreement was terminated by the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) in 2023 as it was signed unilaterally by KSEB without prior approval from the Centre, the state government or KSERC. Vijayan said that there were various shortcomings in the agreement and accused the UDF government of trying to pass the blame on the previous regime to hide its “administrative incompetence.” At the time of terminating…