Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has asked its electricity distribution company, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL), to buy electricity from a private gas-based plant to ensure an uninterrupted supply of electricity to Mumbai. Significantly, the plant in question has been shut for the last five years, and at the same time, the state’s own Uran gas-based power plant is lying underutilised due to a shortage of gas.
MSEDCL has expressed its reservations on the proposal, pointing out that its share in Mumbai is just five to six percent, and the government should ask the major suppliers to the city—BEST, Tata Power and Adani Electricity—to buy additional power to face a potential shortage in future. It has also pointed out that the state’s decision will result in an increase in power tariff for the electricity consumers of the entire state.
Mumbai and its nearby suburban areas experienced a power outage on October 12, 2020. Following this, several measures were planned to rectify the situation, which had happened due to a shortage in supply.
