Shortage of coal to result in load-shedding?

Mumbai: A surge in the demand for electricity coupled with poor coal production this year could lead to a severe power shortage in the state, which has managed to remain relatively free of load-shedding for around three years. However, last year too, the state faced a power crunch of nearly 4,000 MW in May and October, resulting in power outages and it could happen this year as well.

The demand for power has been on the rise in the state’s urban as well as rural areas. Agricultural demand has also been increasing due to the addition of more than 3 lakh pumps, for which the power supply was done for 10 hours in a day for a period. According to power expert Dr Ashok Pendse, “While demand is increasing, supply is affected due to various reasons. The coal supply issue has not yet been resolved. Power generation sets of 1500 MW from Paras and Chandrapur plants have shut down due to water shortage.”

Last year before Diwali when there was a coal shortage, the Koyna water used more than its quota to control the situation. Generally, that water is reserved to be used in the period between January to June period, when demand is at its peak. According to officials, the power demand for Mumbai has reached 2,500 MW per day, hence the possibility of load-shedding could become a reality.