Maharashtra sees 53% rise in power usage since end of May

There has been a 53% increase in electricity consumption in Maharashtra compared to the initial months of the COVID-19 lockdown, and power demand has touched 23,000MW this month.

This is chiefly due to Mission Begin Again from June onwards—with many industries, manufacturing units, and private sector companies reopening in phases and the consumption demand increasing gradually, experts said.

Many offices resumed with 30-50% staff while industrial power consumption too went up by at least 20% over the past few months.

The latest relaxations, which allow more offices, shops, malls, multiplexes, and restaurants to reopen, have led to more consumption.

In fresh trouble for Twitter over the “misuse” of the platform regarding farmers’ protests, the Centre has served a new notice asking it to block 1,178 accounts, suspected to be linked to Khalistan sympathisers or backed by Pakistan.

This is in addition to 257 handles the Centre earlier demanded should be blocked.

Twitter is yet to comply to the notice issued on Thursday.

The tragedy could be the result of ‘very rare’ bursting of water pockets in glacier
Calling the glacial burst in Uttarakhand a "very rare incident", scientists on Sunday said satellite and Google Earth images did not show a glacial lake near the region, but there was a possibility of `water pockets` (lakes inside glaciers) which might have burst, leading to this extreme event even as the entire Hindu-Kush Himalayan region has emerged as a climate change hotspot.

A source from Mahagenco, the state power generator, said that thermal power generation has also gone up from 5,000MW a few months back to over 7,000MW now.

The demand for power fell to as low as 15,000MW in April and May last year but has now returned to normal levels.

Sources said that the demand for power across the state (including Mumbai) was an average 15,000MW in March-end and in April and May last year.