The state government has claimed to have increased power generation by 860 MW in the past one month.
The state government has claimed to have increased power generation by 860 MW in the past one month. With this, they also claimed that load shedding in the rural and urban areas would be reduced by about an hour daily. However, activists have rubbished the claim and alleged that the government is diverting energy to select urban areas.
According to energy minister Sunil Tatkare, the gas-based Uran power generation project has started generating an additional 250 MW, while the Ratangiri Gas and Power Private Limited (RGPPL) and coal-based projects are generating an additional 300 and 200 MW respectively. Apart from that, the state share of 110 MW from the newly started Seepat Project has been an addition leading to the
total additional power of 860 MW.
Tatkare also claimed that another 600 MW will also be available by end of February and it will help reducing load shedding further. “We are emphasising on bringing the generation mechanism back to normal from its breakdown status and it will add 600 MW within next one month. We have been talking to US-based General Electric which has supplied turbines, and signing comprehensive service agreement with them for the effective functioning of the machinery,” he said.
The minister said that with the development of the additional availability, the load shedding in the agriculture dominated areas will be reduced by an hour while the other areas will see reduction of load shedding by half an hour.
However, activists have rubbished the claim by saying that the government was not even following the norms set up by Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) for the load shedding.
“If the government claims the shortfall of the power to be below 4,500 MW, why is it not implementing Option 4 under which load shedding is nearly 4 to 6 hours less than what it is now. The government is diverting electricity to urban areas by increasing load shedding in rural areas,” said Pratap Hogade, president, Maharashtra State Electricity Consumers Organisation.
Hogade claimed that sugarcane growers are losing Rs500 crore annually as their crop has gone down due to non availability of power. He said if the state followed MERC directions, generation would have gone up by another 1,000 MW approximately.
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