Working on expanding Mumbai’s power generation capacity: Energy minister Nitin Raut

Mumbai’s power generation capacity may be expanded in the next two to three years to meet its increasing power demand, state energy minister Nitin Raut said in a

Mumbai’s power generation capacity may be expanded in the next two to three years to meet its increasing power demand, state energy minister Nitin Raut said in a press conference after visiting Tata Power’s Trombay unit on Monday. Raut said Mumbai’s power generation capacity can be expanded to around 3,000MW-3,500MW in the coming years as the city is expected to have a power demand close to 5,000MW.

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He added that the expansion plans need a go-ahead from the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC).

Mumbai currently generates around 1,800MW power, while the rest is procured from outside the city. Mumbai’s peak-hour demand is close to 2,800MW. “Apart from looking at how to increase power generation capacity, we are also looking at how to reduce tariff and improve Mumbai’s islanding system,” he said.

The minister also said that Mumbaiites can expect some relief on the inflated bills they received during lockdown. “We have sent a proposal to the state finance department. Mumbaiites will get good news during Diwali,” he said.

Lakhs of consumers had complained about receiving inflated bills during lockdown, following which the state was planning a rebate scheme for the months of April, May and June.

Raut is visiting various power units following the massive power outage that brought Mumbai to a standstill on October 12. The state has set up a committee to probe the incident. Raut said the report will be submitted to the chief minister soon. The state will also take a decision on giving 100 units of free power soon, he said.

Raut will be visiting the Adani Electricity Management Institute in Goregaon on Tuesday.