The early onset of summer coupled with reviving economic activity has led to power shortages in several states as thermal power plants run short of coal supplies. Coal-based thermal power plants meet around 76% of India’s power demand while coal accounts for 55% of total energy consumption. The average coal stock in 173 power plants under the Central Electricity Authority was just 37% of the normative stock requirements, which would suffice for 12 days at current rates of consumption. There was a similar problem last September when 106 thermal power plants had no stocks at all or only for 7 days of consumption.
True to form, the government denies that there are any coal or power shortages. But it has allowed states to use the “tolling” facility to optimally utilise coal linkages in plants located closer to the mines to transmit electricity than transporting coal to distant plants. Power generating companies have been allowed to use imported coal to blend up to 10% of their requirements.
