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India Faces Coal Shortage as Demand Surges
Sentiment: NegativeHigh Priority
What Happened?
India's coal-fired power plants are experiencing critical fuel shortages, with nearly half holding less than three days' worth of coal. The number of plants with low stocks has risen to 96 out of 191 as of October 19.
Key points
- As of October 19, 96 out of 191 coal-fired plants report critically low stocks.
- Coal stocks at power stations have decreased by about 5% since early October.
- Daily peak electricity demand has risen by 45 to 50 gigawatts compared to last year.
- The gap between electricity demand and supply reached 560 million kilowatt-hours in September.
- The government has put a coal import proposal on hold due to high international prices.
- Coal stocks at power plants are at their lowest in nearly five years.
Key insights
- The increase in electricity demand may strain the already low coal stocks further.
- Government efforts to boost local coal production could stabilize supply in the coming months.
- The reliance on coal during peak demand highlights the need for better energy storage solutions.
Why it matters
The coal shortage could lead to power outages, affecting millions of households and industries.
Tags
Entities
India· CountryCentral Electricity Authority· OrganizationCoal India Ltd· CompanyEl Niño· Event
Source
Times of India
