Electricity distributors have assured citizens of no power cuts in Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra as long as the coal supply situation does not deteriorate further. Mumbai’s largest supplier, Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited, said it has adequate coal storage to keep the city energised, while Energy Minister Dr Nitin Raut assured uninterrupted supply to the rest of the state, including some city suburbs, through the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd. The minister, however, blamed the Centre-run Coal India Ltd for botching up the coal linkages to the generation units.

The coal crisis has been threatening to disrupt power supplies countrywide. Short-supplied by the domestic and imported market, several thermal generation units are either shut or producing less. In Maharashtra, four state-run units are shut because of coal shortage and three are under planned maintenance, thus creating a deficit of 3,000-3,500 megawatts (MW) daily. The gap is bridged in peak hours by increasing the hydroelectric output and buying power from other producers and power exchange at the cost of Rs 13 to Rs 20 per unit. Distributor Adani said it has adequate coal supply. Sources in Tata Power and BEST said they too were sitting pretty.