Overview
- KSEB has begun multiple scheduled and unscheduled late‑night outages after demand rose by roughly 1,000 MW year‑on‑year, driving peak use to about 5,000–5,200 MW that often lasts until 1:00–1:30 AM.
- Officials say short‑term purchases on day‑ahead and real‑time power markets have been constrained by national scarcity, leaving the board with a roughly 700–900 MW shortfall at peak times.
- The state currently generates about 25% of its own power, and KSEB is urging conservation through SMS alerts, a planned app, restricted AC use and deferred EV charging to manage evening peaks.
- The UDF government blames the cancellation of a 465 MW, 25‑year PPA for worsening the gap while the Opposition disputes that claim on regulatory and legal grounds, intensifying protests and planned marches.
- Near‑term fixes include repaying borrowed power by late September and attempted real‑time buys, while medium‑term steps such as a 500 MW BESS at Brahmapuram and a new power policy in October will take months to relieve supply pressure.