Power utility cuts loadshedding

People in Maharashtra are in for some relief this summer as the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) has reduced power cuts by a few hours in the rural and urban areas. Outages in rural areas have been cut by three-and- half hours and by one-and-half hours in urban areas.

This follows the availability of an additional 800 Mw to 1,000 Mw of power, a dip in demand and pre-monsoon showers in parts of the state, a MSEDCL release here today said.

There will be load shedding for 10-and-half hours to 12 hours in rural areas, five to six-and-half hours in smaller cities and three to five hours and 15 minutes in major cities.

Villages and cities have been grouped into four categories "" A, B, C and D "" for the load-shedding protocol and power cuts will be reduced to 10-and-half hours, 11 hours, 11-and- half hours and 12 hours for the four categories respectively.

On the same basis, load shedding in major cities will be three hours, three hours and 45 minutes, four-and-half hours, and five hours and 15 minutes respectively for the four categories whereas it was from four-and-half hours to six hours earlier.

In smaller cities, power cuts will be for five hours, five-and-half hours, six hours and six-and-half hours respectively for the A, B, C and D categories while it was for six-and-half hours to eight hours earlier.

The power situation in Maharashtra has improved because MSEDCL is getting an additional 350 Mw from the Ratnagiri Gas Power Project and another 150 Mw to 200 Mw from a new project at Parali.

Simultaneously, MSEDCL is drawing about 400 Mw to 500 Mw from the national grid by observing grid discipline.

This has resulted in the availability of an additional 800 Mw to 1,000 Mw, it said.

Besides, the demand has dropped by 1,000 Mw to 1,500 Mw as irrigation activities have declined in the past few days and pre-monsoon showers have begun in parts of the state.