State power firm plans to raise supply to industries

Some good news for industries in the state. Power supplier Maharashtra Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDC or Mahavitaran) has decided to offer them more electricity by next month.

Some good news for industries in the state.

HT Image

Power supplier Maharashtra Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDC or Mahavitaran) has decided to offer them more electricity by next month.

Currently, all industrial estates that depend on MSEDC for power get a weekly 16-hour cut.

The state power supplier wants to increase supply by extra eight hours. This means the weekly power cut will be reduced to
eight hours.

This will mean additional 10-15 per cent production across the state as majority industries are situated in the MSEDC distribution area.

The move is expected to send positive signals to investors who cry foul over the state’s power crisis.

MSEDC has petitioned the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) for approval to the proposal.

MERC will give its final say on January 28.

An MSEDC spokesperson said extra supply would be possible since the Ratnagiri Gas and Power Private Ltd (RGPPL) will offer its full capacity of 1950 mega watts by March.

“RGPPL now gives us 1,000 MW and in two days, it will start supplying 400MW more,” the spokesperson said.

However, RGPPL supply will be a bit costly but MSEDC feels that industries will be able to afford it as it would fit the tariff bracket approved by MERC.

Currently, RGPPL charges Rs 4.40 per unit.

The company doesn’t want to mix this costly power with a common pool because by doing so the rates of residential consumers will also increase.