To overcome the widening power deficit in Kerala, the State government is mulling to take up clean energy alternatives. In this regard, the State Minister for Power and Transport Aryadan Mohammed on June 16 said that Kerala generates 28 times more power than it did six decades ago, the sharp rise in consumption is the biggest concern in the energy sector.    

The number of consumers has increased by a massive 100-fold during this period. At this rate our power deficit will only widen in the future. If we cannot address the issues of energy availability and pricing urgently, we are headed for an even bigger crisis. We have projects with a total capacity of around 700 mw, awaiting environmental clearances, he said.    

Environment degradation is a genuine concern and we must do all we can to minimise the impact on it. However, it is vital that these energy projects get off the ground if we are to sustain economic development, he added.