India on verge of blackout? Several states begin electricity cuts amid global power crisis, SOS for depleting coal supply
Entire Lebanon faces a blackout yesterday which is expected to continue for a few days while multiple regions of China too have suffered power loss, affecting global supply.
Severe shortage of coal supply is hitting the country hard and it has started impacting power generation in many states including Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Delhi. Being the world’s largest coal consumer after China, the country is expected to face further outages as the coal shortage crisis is looming large.
Almost all states are running out of coal at an alarming pace and several out of them are at the brink of an electricity blackout.
Joining a long queue, Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi also asked the central government to immediately enhance the state’s coal supply as per quota to tide over power crisis with impending shutdown of its thermal plants due to fast depleting coal reserves
Punjab State Power Corporation Limited has also said that there is an acute shortage of coal in the country and has appealed to its customers to “conserve power by switching off lights, devices & air conditioners when not required.” Punjab has also cut power for three to four hours.
Following reports of the severe power crisis due to a sharp decline in coal supplies in several states, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday asked the coal and railway ministry for 20 coal rakes for Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation (APGencos).
Meanwhile, Delhi Power Minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday held a high level review meeting on the possible power crisis due to coal shortage. CM Arvind Kejriwal had even warned of a looming power crisis in the Indian capital of 20 million people due to coal shortages which have already triggered electricity cuts in some eastern and northern states in the past couple of days.
In Rajasthan too power cuts have been intermittent. The Congress-led state has said that it will schedule one-hour power cuts. Maharashtra and Karnataka too are facing coal shortage issues.
Thermal stations in the two states only have coal reserves for two to three days. Meanwhile Telangana Genco officials have claimed they have sufficient coal reserves for next one week to 10 days.
