A high-level meeting has authorised the Load Despatch Centre to regulate electricity supply for up to 30 minutes in specific regions between 6 pm and midnight, if necessary.

The unannounced power regulation has already triggered widespread protests. According to KSEB, supply restrictions will be imposed when demand rises sharply. The board maintains that issuing prior notice for outages between 6 pm and 12 am is impractical.

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Meanwhile, electricity consumption reached a new record on Tuesday, with usage hitting 11.82 crore units, surpassing the previous high of 11.61 crore units recorded on 17 April. Although the Regulatory Commission had permitted the purchase of costly power from the exchange, additional supply was unavailable on Tuesday.

What is K-shock?

"K-Shock" or "KSEB shock" is an informal term people in Kerala use to describe a sudden spike in their electricity bills after tariff revisions by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). It reflects the public reaction to unexpectedly high bimonthly charges, often attributed to increased rates, changes in billing slabs, or adjustments in fixed charges.

A 200 MW shortfall in central allocation has begun to ease from Tuesday onwards. Weather forecasts indicate heavy rainfall in several areas until 2 May, which may help reduce demand. However, a temporary decline in rainfall is expected after that period.

The board is attempting to procure electricity from all possible sources. If these efforts fall short, the current regulation may continue until the monsoon becomes active in June.

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KSEB attributes the surge in demand to higher-than-expected temperatures, with some areas recording up to 41°C, exceeding the forecast of 38°C for the season. Night-time charging of electric vehicles has also contributed to increased consumption. The board has therefore advised consumers to avoid using induction cookers and other high-energy appliances at night.

Air conditioners are recommended to be set at 25-26°C.

These decisions were taken at a meeting chaired by Energy Department Secretary Punit Kumar, attended by KSEB Chairman Minhaj Aalam and other senior officials.

Extended outages reported

Although the official regulation period is limited to 30 minutes, some areas have experienced outages lasting several hours in recent days. This has been attributed to transformers failing under excessive load.

"Even in a situation where electricity is not readily available in the market, the government is striving to move forward without resorting to load shedding. There is currently no plan to introduce declared load shedding," said Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty.