Overview
- Record demand has risen by roughly 1,000 MW year‑on‑year, with peak use reported at about 5,400 MW on Thursday, while available supply remains near 4,200 MW, creating a nightly shortfall of roughly 700–900 MW.
- KSEB has imposed repeated evening and late‑night feeder regulations because unusually high consumption now persists until about 1:00–1:30 AM, forcing more than one round of cuts in some areas.
- Officials point to higher air‑conditioning use, a shift of peaks to late night from electric‑vehicle charging, low monsoon rainfall reducing hydropower output, and a national coal crunch that limits outside purchases.
- Short‑term market purchases have yielded little available power and long‑term contracts and battery projects will take months to deliver relief, so the government has launched OMS alerts, SMS notifications, a consumer app and emergency directives to manage load.
- Public anger has grown on social media and in politics, with opposition parties planning protests; the state is also pursuing legal and contractual steps to restore a cancelled 465 MW PPA while warning consumers to conserve power to avoid further cuts.