In what may come as good news for power consumers in Maharashtra, the state electricity distribution utility is planning to ensure that there are no power cuts during the summer.
A senior energy department official said the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MahaVitaran) is planning to procure power round the clock to meet the increased demand during the summers. This, combined with the new power generation capacity projects, could ensure a summer without load shedding in case coal supply bottlenecks are sorted out.
The official added that MahaVitaran was planning to procure around 300 MW of power to meet the shortage during day time in March. From April to June, it would procure 700 MW on a ‘round the clock’ basis.
The state, according to him, would also get 500 MW from the Khaparkheda project and 1,000 MW from two 500 MW sets at Bhusawal, which are expected to be commissioned by then. Another 300 MW would be procured from the Ratnagiri Gas and Power Private Limited (RGPPL) due to supply of extra gas.
The MahaVitaran is also planning to buy another 300 MW of power on a daily basis from the power exchange.
“A summer without load shedding is quite bright,” said the official.
However, he added that this would happen only if problems of coal supply for the thermal power stations run by Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited (MahaGenco) were sorted out.
“In case coal or gas supplies do not pose a problem, then the summer will be load-shedding free,” he said.
Presently, while the power demand is around 16,500 MW, the supply is only 12,500 MW. Load shedding is carried out for 1,000 to 1,500 MW, while the rest of the gap between demand and supply is met through load management schemes. Moreover, MahaVitaran has withdrawn load shedding for industrial consumers until further orders due to an increased availability of power and a decreased gap between demand and supply.
The MahaVitaran covers a 3.08 lakh square kilometre area in Maharashtra covering 41,095 villages and 457 towns, including parts of Mumbai like Bhandup and Mulund.
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