Coal shortage in THESE states might lead to ‘blackout’ soon

Amid the surge in the prices and demand for coal, the shortage of power-generating fuel is prevailing across the country. The import of coal across the country has decreased, which has led to a shortage of coal in many states in the past few months.

The power crisis is slowly deepening in states such as Delhi, Punjab, and Rajasthan. With the economy jump-starting again after the halt during the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for coal is on the rise, which is not being met by the power plants at the desired rate.

As a result of this surge in coal demand, India is likely to face a power blackout across the country. Several power-generation units have notified that they are running low on coal and only have a supply that might last for a couple of days.

Mentioned below are some of the states which might face a blackout due to the coal shortage-

Punjab- The state of Punjab has been experiencing power cuts of around 3-4 hours each day, as per reports. Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has also asked the Centre to increase the coal supply in the state to meet the demands of the power plants.

Delhi- Stating that Delhi is in the middle of a power crisis, CM Arvind Kejriwal wrote a letter to PM Modi which stated that Delhi is in acute need of coal. A Tata Power spokesperson also said that the current cost of coal is making it impossible to meet the needs of the city.

Tamil Nadu- The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) has recently stated that the power supply in several parts of Chennai has been suspended due to maintenance work, which is likely due to the shortage of coal in the city.

Rajasthan- The Rajasthan government is currently resorting to one-hour power cuts on a daily basis to make sure that the coal in the state is not exhausted due to shortage. Longer power cuts have also been reports in parts of the state, which will likely continue till the power crisis blows over.

Andhra Pradesh- Unscheduled power cuts are now a part of the daily routine for the people of Andhra Pradesh due to an acute shortage of coal. The state government has also said that there is not enough coal to power the irrigation pumps in fields, which will lead to the crops drying up.

Some other states which are currently facing problems due to a surge in coal demands are Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha, while the Telangana government has stated that they have just enough coal to remain functional for a week or ten days.