Acute coal shortage triggers blackouts across India | Know situation in your state
New Delhi, April 28: Amid sweltering summer, acute coal shortages have triggered blackouts across many parts of India. States are struggling hard to manage record demand for electricity and low feedstock at power plants.
From Jammu and Kashmir to Andhra Pradesh, consumers are facing power cuts ranging from 2 hours to 8 hours. Factories are the worst hit.
Extreme heat in April has taken power demand to an all-time high. The total electricity shortage in the country has hit 623 million units, surpassing the total shortage in March. At the heart of the crisis are low inventories of coal—the fossil fuel that produces 70 per cent of India’s electricity.
While the government insists that there is enough coal available to meet the demand, the reduced availability of railway rakes to transport coal has led to coal inventories being at the lowest pre-summer levels in at least nine years.
Also read | Covid-19 update: India reports 3,303 fresh cases; 39 deaths
Thermal plants across the country are grappling with coal shortages, indicating a looming power crisis in the country, the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) said. Peak power demand met or the highest supply in a day was 200.65 GW on April 27 while peak power shortage was 10.29 GW.
Latest data showed that 147 non-pit head plants with total capacity of over 163 GW monitored by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) had 25 per cent of the normative coal stocks on April 26. These plants had 14,172 thousand tonnes of coal against the norm of 57,033 thousand tonnes.
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh has a 3,000 MW deficit. Against the demand of around 23,000 MW, the supply is just 20,000 MW. According to the data, at present, electricity is being supplied in rural areas on an average of 15 hours 7 minutes against the scheduled 18 hours. Similarly, electricity is being supplied on an average of 19 hours 3 minutes against the scheduled 21 hours 30 minutes in towns and 19 hours 50 minutes against 21 hours 30 minutes in tehsil headquarters.
The Kashmir Valley
In the Kashmir valley, unscheduled and prolonged cuts in the holy month of Ramzan have left the people distraught.
Tamil Nadu
Unscheduled power cuts in Tamil Nadu have hit the industry hard, especially the matchbox factories in cities such as Virudhunagar, Tenkasi and Tuticorin.
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh is facing a shortfall of about 50 million units of power as against the demand, which is touching 210 million units a day.
Protests in Punjab
In Punjab’s Hoshiarpur, farmers blocked vehicular movement in protest against irregular electricity supply. Ludhiana, Patiala and Mohali are facing frequent power cuts. The maximum demand for power has already reached around 8,000 MW in the state.
Also read | No end to power woes in Punjab; PSPCL chairman in Delhi to meet officials
Jharkhand
In Jharkhand, Sakshi Singh, wife of cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni recently tweeted, “As a tax payer of Jharkhand just want to know why is there a power crisis in Jharkhand since so many years? We are doing our part by consciously making sure we save energy !”.
Odisha
Odisha, which claimed to be a power-surplus state, however, faced acute shortage of electricity in mid April following breakdown of one unit of NTPC which used to generate 800 MW.
Bihar
Bihar too is witnessing frequent power cuts in rural as well as urban areas.
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand Power Corporation Ltd MD Anil Kumar attributed the acute power shortage to a rise in demand caused by the early onset of summer and to the closure of a gas-driven power plant in Kashipur in Udham Singh Nagar district.
Rajasthan
In Rajasthan, the electricity demand has increased 31 per cent, leading to power cuts of 5 to 7 hours a day. Rural areas are facing more power cuts than in urban areas.
Haryana
According to Haryana Power Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala, uninterrupted power will be available to consumers within next few days. As against the current daily demand of 8,100 MW, the present shortfall was over 300 MW, but he says the gap would be covered by Saturday.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra has been implementing load shedding since early part of April because of a deficit of up to 3,000 MW of power.
Madhya Pradesh
The state is supplying 11,875 MW of electricity against peak demand of 12,150 MW.
Gujarat
Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) Managing Director Jai Prakash Shivahare too claimed that there was no load shedding in the state at present due to coal shortage.
Goa
The Goa Government has procured additional 120 MW power from the open market to avert load shedding.
Chhattisgarh
The state has no shortage of power.
West Bengal
West Bengal is able to meet its power demand without any deficit.
Tripura
In Tripura, the shortfall of around 140/150 MW is managed by drawing power from central PSUs as part of long-term power purchase agreement (PPA).
-With inputs from agencies
