With surging temperatures comes the equally high demand for power, and India is presently facing a shortage of coal in its thermal plants leading to frequent or long outages in many parts. In a move to speed up the transport of coal to power plants, certain passenger trains have been cancelled to make way for freight trains. India generates 70% of its electricity from coal, and the effect of the shortage is being felt in industries as well in terms of production cuts that will drag economic recovery from the pandemic.
Since the beginning of April, the reserves of coal in the country’s plants have reduced by 17% and are at one-third of the required levels.
The coal shortage situation also has implications for rising inflation in food and fuel since a slowdown in the economy will hurt ordinary people struggling with increased prices. An executive director at the Indian Railways, Gaurav Krishna Bansal, said that passenger train services will be resumed once the situation ‘normalizes’.
To deal with the increased demand, the Railways has said it will add 100,000 more wagons and establish an exclusive freight corridor. In October 2021 there was a similar situation when coal stocks plunged to only 4 days’ worth of reserves, and over half the country’s plants were placed on high alert for outages.
Delhi Govt Warns Of Power Cuts To Hospitals And Metro
Yesterday on Thursday, Delhi's Power Minister Satyendra Jain wrote the Centre urging it to make adequate coal available to plants in the national capital which supply 25-30% of its electricity needs, and said that maintaining 24-hour supply to hospitals and the Delhi Metro could prove challenging otherwise. A government statement said: “Due to disruption of power supply from Dadri-II and Unchahar power stations, there may be a problem in 24-hours power supply to many essential institutions, including Delhi Metro and Delhi government hospitals,”
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