New Delhi — On Saturday, Delhi’s Prime Minister Arvind Keziwar warned of a power crisis in the Indian capital due to a coal shortage. This has already caused power cuts in some states in the eastern and northern parts of India.
“Delhi could face a power crisis,” Keziwar said in a tweet, sharing a copy of a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointing out fuel shortages in Delhi and surrounding power plants.
Kejriwal has called on the federal government to divert its coal and gas supply to a utility that supplies the capital, with the city having a nationally important strategic center that supplies hospitals and coronavirus vaccination centers. Said it was important.
Severe coal shortages have caused supply shortages in states such as Bihar, Rajasthan and Jharkhand, with residents in the region experiencing power outages of up to 14 hours a day.
India said on Saturday that it would boost its gas supply to bring two power plants in Delhi into operation. The state-owned NTPC Ltd has been instructed to increase coal inventories from neighboring Uttar Pradesh to coal-fired power plants to secure supply.
Uttar Pradesh’s electricity shortage, facing elections in early 2022, surged to 5.6% on Friday, the highest recently, according to federal data.
In India, more than half of the 135 coal-fired power plants that supply about 70% of the country’s electricity have a fuel stock that lasts less than three days, Reuters reported Friday.
After the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, India’s demand for industrial power has skyrocketed, and increased economic activity has led to an increase in coal consumption by the world’s second-largest commodity consumer.
By Sudarshan Varadhan
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