Maharashtra: A 'data hub' of rising power cuts | Part 2
Behind Maharashtra’s push for data centres lies increasing power outages and apathy towards its people
The Maharashtra state government is adjusting its push for data centers to become greener, reducing the mandatory requirement of 100% renewable energy to 51%. The revised Green Integrated Data Centre parks scheme, implemented in June 2026, expands the geographical coverage from Mumbai-Navi Mumbai to the entire state, while cutting down the number of parks from 3 to 20.
Data centers are increasingly opting for open-access arrangements to tie up with green energy companies, which feed into the existing grid via open access. However, their power requirements are stable 24x7, making it challenging to meet entirely with solar or wind power. A significant portion of the load, around 30 to 35%, can be met by renewable sources.
Despite the limitation of renewable sources, data centers are still required to power their facilities via the existing high-voltage transmission network (440 kV or 220 kV). Power consumed and pumped back into the grid are not co-related, meaning a data center's reliability isn't affected by its renewable power sourcing. The government's adjustment comes as citizens in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) oppose the construction of a 422 MW data center in Balkum, Thane, fearing it could cause local instability.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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