Mumbai is set to receive a power boost with the nearing completion of the 90-kilometre Padgha-Kharghar transmission line. The project, worth INR 900 crore, is in its final stages and is expected to be completed by March 2024.
The new line is part of Sterlite Power's Mumbai Urja Marg Transmission (MUMT) project. It will supply an extra 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). According to reports, the line could bring power from the national grid into MMR at reasonable rates.
The timing of this is significant. It will coincide with the scheduled opening of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) on January 12. The MTHL is expected to bring the MMR economy to USD 1 trillion.
Currently, MMR's peak power consumption during the summer is 4,500 MW. With the establishment of the New Town Development Authority and planned projects like data centres, the NAINA project, the international airport in Navi Mumbai, and Metro train routes, a significant increase in power consumption is expected.
The transmission line project was accelerated following the Mumbai blackout in October 2020, which was caused by transmission line overload.
Over 1,000 residents living within 23 metres of the transmission line were identified as project-affected individuals. They received INR 400 crore in compensation and rehabilitation.
The original December 2023 target was missed due to some locals' preference for transmission towers to be erected in forested regions far from their farms and residences. According to reports, MUMT is avoiding the forest so they don't have to cut down any trees.
The current projects, the Padgha-Navi Mumbai and Apta-Taloja transmission lines under MUMT, will also improve the state's power supply situation.
Share
Tweet
