Unit closures force 2-5 hrs of power cuts across Maharashtra

Maharashtra's biggest power discom MSEDCL today said that it has had to effect two to five hours of 'load shedding' across the state today owing to technical issues at some private sector generating stations and a dip in supply from the central grid.
"A 3,000 MW shortfall during peak hours, when the state needs up to 15,500 MW of power, is leading to the load shedding, that was once prevalent in almost the entire state," a senior official at the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) said here.
According to the official, two units of 660 MW each operated by Adani Power, 600 MW from JSW Energy and 500 MW from Indiabulls Power have stopped delivering power while there is also a 500 MW dip in supply from central grid.

The official exuded confidence that the situation will be normalised by tomorrow evening as over 50 per cent of the dip is expected to be covered as the units go functional.
However, the exact nature of the "technical issues" that are preventing units from supplying power were not immediately known.
MSEDCL supplies power to almost the entire state, barring pockets in the financial capital which are serviced by the state-run BEST and private sector players like Reliance and Tata Power.

Load shedding, a practice of compulsory power cuts due to shortfall in supply, was very common during summer till about three years ago and also earned a lot of flak for the western state that otherwise prides on being industrially-progressive.

The peak time shortfall had risen to over 5,500 MW in the last few years and the power discom resorted to a load shedding of over 15 hours in some pockets in summer.
A round of reforms, starting with the breaking up of the Maharashtra State Electricity Board into three companies specialising in distribution, generation and transmission respectively, along with other measures like focus on recoveries, have resulted in end of load shedding.
At present, even though the state is not energy surplus, the discom implements a policy of cutting supply to regions according to their payment records.