Mumbai faces power cuts

Residents of Mumbai who have never faced load-shedding will have to gear themselves to contend with power cuts this summer, though not as severe as the ones in other parts of Maharashtra.

Power cuts of one to two hours every day across the city will need to be enforced during April and May, Tata Power managing director Prasad Menon said on Monday.

However, the residents here are somewhat lucky as the power situation is not as bad as in most parts of Maharashtra, where severe power cuts of four to five hours in urban areas are being implemented in the face a whopping 5,000 MW shortfall of electricity.

Tata Power is the biggest private sector power utility in the country and the major supplier of energy to Mumbai.

Menon said his company is doing everything possible to source power from other parts of the country. "We are approaching captive power units for even 40-50 MW. But we cannot promise that we will bridge the shortage facing the city," he said.

A reported ultimatum from the Maharashtra government that power utilities should arrange 200 MW of power they were sourcing from the state grid within two days had actually backfired, Menon said.

A company with which a deal for 150 MW was almost sealed backed out of the pact when it learnt about the government ultimatum and asked a higher price for power, he said without naming the company. 

According to Menon, the power shortage could be curtailed by 100 MW to 150 MW if people resorted to simple conservation measures.

The three power utilities in Mumbai - Tata Power, Reliance Energy and state-run BEST -- have already started a campaign for power conservation.

The energy shortage will continue for the next three years as the financial capital is growing fast and power consumption is rising, Menon said.

Load-shedding in April-May next year could also be a possibility but with the resumption of power generation by the Dhabol power plant (now known as Ratnagiri Gas and Power) in coastal Maharashtra, the situation is expected to improve.