KSEB will soon take a final call on floating tenders for obtaining the low sulphur heavy stock (LSHS), a residual fuel processed from crude, from oil companies for running the thermal plant.

At present the plant had run out of LSHS, though it had managed to operate for three months till May after securing 3,200 tonne of fuel at cheap rate from a decommissioned plant of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL). Usually the plant is operated between 6.30 pm and 11 pm following directives from the Kalamassery State Load Dispatch Centre, the apex body to ensure integrated operation of the power system in Kerala.

Incidentally, the memorandum of understanding (MoU) which KSEB had inked with BPCL to supply the fuel expired long ago. Also for several years the plant had remained closed for multiple reasons, including poor maintenance and non-payment of dues to the oil company.

The Bharat Heavy Electricals had set up the 128 MW Kozhikode plant at a cost of Rs 390 crore on a turnkey basis and it was handed over to KSEB in April 2000. Its installed capacity was 30.7 lakh units per day and had achieved a generation of 27.5 lakh units of electricity during initial phase. The power generated is transferred to the Nallalam Sub Station and then to the Kerala State Grid.