India’s coal-fuelled power plants, which account for more than half (52.4%) of the country’s total installed capacity of 386.88 gigawatt (GW), are facing a crisis. As many as 72 coal-fuelled power projects have almost exhausted their coal stocks, a Mint report said on October 4.
About 50 plants have coal stocks ranging from 4-10 days, and 13 projects have coal stocks to sustain electricity generation for just over 10 days. State-owned Coal India Limited, the largest producer, has assured that it is doing all it can to avert a crisis.
However, it is worth asking what led to a supply crunch in the world’s second-largest producer of coal in the first place.
