Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan accused the Kerala government of causing the state’s power crisis by canceling long-term electricity purchase agreements, alleging corruption as the motive. He called for an immediate end to power restrictions, warning of strong protests by the UDF if the situation persists.
Satheesan criticized the outages during intense heat as a challenge to the people and questioned the LDF government’s claim of providing ten years without power cuts. He highlighted the cancellation of a long-term deal to procure 465 MW at Rs 4.29 per unit, leading to higher power costs of Rs 6 to Rs 12 per unit and daily losses of Rs 15-20 crore for the Kerala State Electricity Board.
Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty refuted allegations of unannounced load shedding, stating that only natural regulation occurs during grid overload. He explained that due to power consumption exceeding 6,195 MW, the state had to make costlier power purchases. The Minister assured efforts to prevent a tariff hike and urged consumers to use electricity judiciously.
