Mumbai: Amid relentless heat and soaring temperatures, recurring power outages have intensified the woes of residents across Mumbai’s island city. While Girgaon residents finally got relief after electricity supply on the BEST network was restored following several hours of disruption late on Friday night, parts of Dadar and Wadala were hit by fresh outages again on Saturday morning. Officials said record-high electricity demand, driven by excessive use of air conditioners amid the heat, is placing severe pressure on the power grid.
Frequent Disruptions Since May
On Saturday morning, Dadar West was plunged into yet another power outage around 10.30 am after a termination cable reportedly caught fire, disrupting electricity supply in several pockets. Frustrated residents said such outages have become increasingly frequent since the second week of May, especially during late-night hours when soaring temperatures trigger heavy use of air conditioners and other cooling appliances, sharply pushing up electricity demand.
The latest disruptions came a day after multiple faults at the Kingsway Receiving Station in Dadar and at Girgaon Chowpatty triggered outages across several parts of the city on Friday night. BEST officials said air trips in Transformers No. 2 and 3 at the Kingsway station disrupted supply in Dadar, Maheshwari Udyan, Naigaon and Wadala East, while a transformer fire at Girgaon Chowpatty left parts of Girgaon Chowpatty and Gaondevi without power for nearly an hour.
Multiple Feeders Trip
As per the information received from BEST the Kingsway Receiving Substation (RSS) operates through four 33,000-volt extra high-voltage feeder lines. While one feeder linked to Transformer No. 1 was already under repair, another supplying Transformer No. 3 developed a fault on Friday evening, forcing the load onto Transformer No. 2. Within 30 minutes, that feeder also tripped, causing a major outage across several areas.
"The Kingsway RSS Transformer No. 2 cable tripped around 8.30 pm, leaving three transformers out of service. Around 80% of supply was restored between midnight and 3 am, while the remaining areas got power back by 5.20 am. However, Dadar faced another outage at 11.10 am on Saturday after the Sitaladevi–Sai Sharan cable tripped, with supply restored in phases between 12.15 pm and 1.30 pm," said a BEST official.
Ageing Cables Need Replacement
Electricity expert Ashok Pendse said, "Soaring power demand driven by extensive use of air conditioners and cooling appliances is placing immense stress on the network." He also noted that several cables and electrical systems in BEST supply areas are ageing and need urgent replacement. Pendse suggested that BEST conduct pocket-wise demand surveys and upgrade infrastructure based on area-specific electricity consumption patterns.
Trushna Viswasrao, BEST Committee Chairperson, said a major fault was reported on Friday which took time to restore electricity supply, adding that she understands the inconvenience faced by residents during outages. She said that on enquiry with officials, it was found that several electricity lines are old and need replacement. "With the monsoon approaching in a few days, I have instructed officials to take up the work on priority," added Vishwasrao.
According to supply data, Mumbai’s electricity demand crossed an all-time high of nearly 4,500 MW this week, surpassing the previous peak of 4,300 MW recorded in May 2024. On Saturday alone, the city’s demand reached 3,878 MW by 12.30 pm. Earlier on May 14, a cable fault at the Sitladevi receiving substation left BEST consumers in Dadar, Sitladevi and Matunga Road without power for an extended period.
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