Amidst a scorching summer and an uptick in industrial production, reports of power outages across Uttar Pradesh have started trickling in, with small towns and villages in the state going without electricity for four to five hours every day. And while local faults are also responsible, the major reason for the frequent power cuts is the critical level of coal inventories in the power plants.
According to data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), coal availability in 11 out of the 13 coal fired power plants in the state have turned ‘critical’ as of April 25 with less than 25% of normative coal stock. Of the 13, four are state plants while nine are run by the private sector.
