Our Bureau
New Delhi
Forty-five coal-fired power plants across India are operating with critically low coal inventories, raising concerns over the country’s power supply as heavy monsoon rains disrupt coal mining and transportation, government data showed on August 25.
The number of plants facing critical shortages has risen sharply from 31 at the end of July. Plants are classified as critically short when their coal stocks fall below 25% of the required inventory or are sufficient to generate electricity for fewer than three days.
Coal supplies have been affected by heavy rainfall in major coal-producing states, including Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Flooding and difficult transport conditions have slowed the movement of coal to power stations, putting additional pressure on already limited inventories.
At the same time, electricity demand has increased amid hotter-than-usual weather, which has been linked to El Niño conditions. The combination of higher demand and disrupted fuel supplies has intensified pressure on coal-based generation, which remains an important source of electricity for India.
According to commodities consultancy BigMint, coal stocks at power plants fell 19% in August from the end of July to about 30.95 million tonnes, equivalent to roughly 10 days of operations. An NTPC official said some plants were receiving only about half the coal shipments they required.
The power ministry has responded by asking some plants to postpone planned maintenance so that available generating capacity can remain online while supplies are constrained.