A severe heatwave, accompanied by an acute coal shortage, has triggered blackouts across India. Thousands of people from Jammu and Kashmir to Tamil Nadu are dealing with power cuts of up to eight hours daily. Raising fears of a power crisis like last year, several states are struggling to meet the demand for electricity. And as the country swelters under extreme heat – with the temperature in some states, like Delhi, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh – touching 45 degrees Celsius, power demand is shooting to an all-time high. This has also led to low inventories of coal – which is used to produce around 70 percent of India’s electricity.
The total electricity shortage in the country has hit 623 million units, news agency PTI said. On April 27 peak power demand was 200.65 GW, and peak power shortage was 10.29 GW.
