Island city faces fresh power cuts amid rising electricity load

Mumbai: Power outages continued in parts of the island city on Monday, with residents of Worli reporting power cuts from 4am to 8am. In Tardeo, including the Tardeo police station area, supply disruptions were reported around 4pm, adding to complaints of irregular electricity in several pockets over the past week amid humid weather.

Officials from the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) said most outages were linked to cable faults and rising strain on the distribution network. Peak demand in BEST’s supply area has touched 900-1,000MW in recent weeks, compared with the usual 800-850 MW on normal days. BEST caters to around 10.8 lakh consumers in the island city.

The utility has urged residents to update their declared electricity load, especially after adding air-conditioners and other high-consumption appliances. A senior official said consumers can submit an online declaration from home, ensuring the sanctioned load matches actual usage. If higher demand is formally recorded, BEST can replace or upgrade cables to improve supply reliability and reduce the likelihood of outages.

Sources within BEST said ageing underground cables in parts of the island city are increasingly prone to faults. A cable replacement programme is under way, with about 50% of the work completed so far.