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Our Bureau

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec. 23 The Kerala Government will launch an energy conservation campaign in four or five months to create awareness among the public on the need to avoid a power tariff hike in the context of the continuing power shortage in the State.

The Minister for Electricity, Mr A.K. Balan, said here on Tuesday that the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) had ended the first eight months of the year with a revenue gap of Rs 490 crore. This was due to heavy purchase of unbudgeted quantities of expensive power from liquid thermal stations. This gap was in spite of the thermal surcharge and supply restrictions imposed on the consumers, he said.

According to the latest projections, KSEB would finish the year with a revenue deficit of Rs 1,100 crore if it went ahead without supply restrictions or levy of surcharges. The situation could be averted only if the consumers consciously reduced their demand for electricity.

The Minister said that KSEB was now, on an average, drawing between two million and three million units of very expensive energy daily through the power exchange system to make good the short-supply from other sources. The daily demand in the State was between 42 million and 43 million units as of now.

This would go up to around 50 million units by March-April, the time of public examinations and hot weather conditions. This would necessitate going in for large quantities of expensive power to sustain the supply level.

The Minister said that the State would be able to cut down the overall energy demand by at least five million units a day though conscious energy conservation measures. A blueprint for a massive public campaign had to be drawn up to make this possible, he added.

More Stories on : Power | Kerala

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