Mumbai hit by blackouts after power station snag

Mumbai: A power outage left large swathes of Mumbai without electricity for hours on Tuesday, a leading utility company said, at a time when the country's energy sector is facing turmoil.

Tata Power said the tripping of a unit at one of its power stations in Mumbai reduced the supply at 09.45 am to various central and suburban parts of the city, with the problem yet to be resolved by early afternoon.

"We are working towards an early resolution and will ensure power supply to these areas at the earliest," an emailed statement said.

"We would like to reiterate Tata Power's commitment to providing reliable and 24X7 quality power to the city of Mumbai."

Starved power sector is struggling to produce enough electricity to meet rising demand, with blackouts common in large parts of the country.

The power sector, which relies on coal for two thirds of electricity production, has warned in recent weeks its coal supplies are running dangerously low.

On Monday, Government asked the top court to safeguard some coal mine concessions deemed to have been illegally awarded, amid fears the sector could be thrown into further disarray.

India imports vast quantities of coal, draining foreign reserves, despite sitting on the world's fifth largest reserves.