Small Indian Factories Face Blackouts as Coal Stocks Plunge
Blackouts have started to hit households and smaller Indian factories and steel mills as coal inventories at many power plants plunge while electricity demand soars amid warmer weather and much lower hydropower output. Demand has been exceeding supply in recent weeks, leading to power cuts for households in some areas, as well as smaller factories and smelters, Bloomberg reported on Monday. The…
Power cuts are increasingly affecting households and smaller factories in India as coal stocks at coal-fired power plants dwindle, Bloomberg reported. The cause is a record El Niño bringing the weakest monsoon season in a decade, leading to soaring temperatures and reduced hydropower generation, according to news outlet. This has strained power supply at a time when power demand is exceeding supply.
Coal inventory at many coal-fired power plants is critically low, with over 40% of operational coal plants running on low levels, according to government data. By October 1, 85 plants had coal stocks below 25% of their normative requirement, highlights the growing pressure on the coal supply chain, Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air reported.
The strain on coal stocks and coal-fired power generation is starting to impact the economy, industry officials told Bloomberg. Small steel mills in central Chhattisgarh are facing 10 to 12-hour daily outages, forcing these plants to cut production. The power cuts are raising energy costs for factories and steel mills as they switch to expensive generators.
Households are also affected, with some villages in Uttar Pradesh experiencing up to seven hours of daily blackouts.
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