Across Maharashtra, shortage of coal leads to load-shedding

“Load-shedding will be implemented in areas where bill payments have been irregular. The company is trying to procure power from other sources,” said an official.

Load-shedding will be implemented across the state because of a coal shortage that has brought down power generation, according to the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL). While the power demand was 17,930 MW in the state, it could supply only 15,700 MW, leading to a shortfall of 2,200 MW, said MSEDCL.

On Thursday, MAHAGENCO supplied 4,600 MW of power as against the usual 7,000 MW. Adani power company provided 1,700 MW, Ratan India provided 500 MW, and central power projects provided 3,800 MW. As much as 1,200 MW was generated from hydroenergy, while CGPL provided 560 MW. MSEDCL officials insisted that the load-shedding is temporary and would only be implemented in areas which have high transmission and distribution losses. “Load-shedding will be implemented in areas where bill payments have been irregular. The company is trying to procure power from other sources,” said an official.

Vivek Velankar of the Sajag Grahak Manch said many areas of Pune faced power cuts on Thursday. “Authorities keep passing the buck but there should have been better planning to deal with the coal shortage. Consumers are facing load-shedding despite paying high energy bills,” he said.