Mumbai may face an hour’s power cut everyday all through summer

MUMBAI: It could happen this Wednesday, next Wednesday, or even in May, but uninterrupted power supply to Mumbai could become a thing of the past.

All through summer, Mumbaikars will have to learn to live without electricity for at least an hour or two everyday. But, this hinges on the outcome of a meeting on Wednesday that will review Tata Power Company’s success in buying power from other sources.

The cuts seemed imminent after Sunday’s discussion between the government, Tata Power Company (TPC) and Reliance Energy. At the meeting, the MSEB told TPC that it would not be allowed to draw any more power from the state’s bank, and would have to organise its own supplies from elsewhere.

On Monday, TPC managing director Prasad Menon said his company would be able to buy just 210MW of the 360MW that would be required to keep things in order in the city. The company said it is not able to acquire the remaining 150MW because many energy firms have suddenly jacked up prices to make a quick buck out of the power crisis.