Power outages continue across Mumbai suburbs; BEST electricity demand crosses record 1,000 MW on Tuesday

Mumbai: Residents across western suburbs, including consumers in Bandra, Khar and Borivli, faced power disruptions on Tuesday as electricity demand surged to unusually high levels amid rising temperatures and increased reliance on cooling appliances. Many had sleepless nights as the power cuts were reported during wee hours.In Bandra East, areas such as Jawahar Nagar and the vicinity of Bandra Terminus witnessed interruptions between 3am and 7am. While the initial outage lasted close to 50 minutes, some residents experienced shorter, intermittent disruptions before power supply was fully restored around 7am. “It was frustrating. I kept calling the power utility official for a response, and was assured that the supply will be restored soon. That took a really long time and I couldn’t sleep properly,” said a consumer.Officials attributed the outages to a sharp spike in electricity consumption across the city. According to BEST officials, the normal load in its distribution network typically ranges between 800 MW and 850 MW. On Tuesday, however, demand crossed the 1,000 MW mark, placing significant stress on the system. The surge has been linked to increased use of air conditioners, geysers, induction cooktops and other high-consumption household appliances as temperatures and humidity levels remain elevated.Adani Electricity, which supplies power to large parts of the city, also reported a sharp increase in demand, noting a 53% rise in consumption on Tuesday compared to the same period last year.Other utilities, such as Tata Power, have been witnessing a surge in peak power demand of over 1,200 MW while Adani Electricity has faced a power demand of over 2,300 MW in the suburbs this summer, sources said.A senior BEST official urged consumers to declare any rise in their electricity usage so that sanctioned load limits can be revised. He further said that accurate disclosures would help distribution agencies plan infrastructure upgrades, including installation of additional cables and transformers, to efficiently manage higher demand and reduce the risk of outages.