Power demand shoots up by 1,000 MW in Maharashtra

“As of now, there is no fear of load shedding. We’ve made preparations by storing our hydro power. Anticipating a shortfall in the future, we’ve planned our short-term purchases for such situations,” said an official. The discom had floated tenders for short-term purchases last year, fearing a shortage in power supply.

A coal shortage looms large on the discom, which is worried it may have to resort to load shedding in case coal stocks are exhausted. “Since October last year, there has been a shortage of coal. The situation has improved on and off but not significantly. Fewer rakes are arriving per day,” said an official. “The next two months are very crucial. We are planning for 15 days at a time and making purchases at lower costs depending on demand,” said the official.