Mumbai city is also witnessing breakdowns in electricity supply.Mumbai’s power demand on Friday peeked at a record 3,850 MW – up by 10 per cent as compared to last year when the demand did not exceed 3,100 MW.
Power expert Ashok Pendse said, “On Friday, Mumbai required 3,850 MW and 2,100 MW was bought from outside sources. The amount of energy that can be transferred from transfer lines is limited. We can maximum bring 4,200 MW and then resort to powercuts.”
He added that at the Vikhroli sub-station, while the capacity has to be increased from 33 kv to 132 kv, this work has remained pending for over a decade. “Steps are being taken now, but the augmentation in transmission capacity can happen only in 2023. The Borivali Kudus line will also take some time to function,” said Pendse.
He further said that 1,500 MW to 1,600 MW power is used by air-conditioners. “People must keep AC temperature at 26 degrees from 3 pm to 5 pm. This will save 100 to 200 MW.” On Friday, Mumbai reached its peak demand at 4 pm.
An electricity supply provider in Mumbai said, “We are witnessing unprecedented heatwave across India, including in Mumbai. This has resulted in increase in power demand across all sections of consumers – be it residential, industrial or commercial. Consumption is likely to increase significantly compared to non-summer months.”
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Mumbai city is also witnessing breakdowns in electricity supply. BEST spokesperson Manoj Varade said, “The demand has increased considerably. In Mumbai, we don’t go for loadshedding. Now, the transformers are facing huge load, leading to strain.’’
“People are using ACs and fans even more now, resulting in heavy demand and consumption of electricity. This may affect the network, resulting in cable or feeder faults across the island city,” Varade said.
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