Rare power outage throws Mumbai out of gear for hours

MUMBAI: India’s financial capital was thrown into an unprecedented turmoil on Monday morning after power lines tripped, cutting off electricity to the city’s 1.84 crore residents for more than two hours. Trains shut down, mobile networks got clogged and internet slowed as the city battled an unprecedented cut in power supply that everyone thought was impossible due to the city’s unique ‘islanding’ system.

Lockdown, restricted outdoor activity and work from home due to the Covid-19 pandemic prevented large-scale chaos especially in financial markets. Stock volumes and trading were little impacted though bond market volumes dropped and banks reported normal business. ATMs also worked normally.

Power cuts are a rare occurrence in Mumbai due to the city’s 'islanding' system which enables power producers to cut themselves off the grid and continue supply to a limited area. Tata Power, which is a major power producer and distributor in Mumbai, attempted the cut-off but could not do so due to sudden and dramatic drop in load.


Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has ordered an enquiry and Union power minister RK Singh said that a central team would visit Mumbai to identify problems and work out solutions.