Assam Likely to Witness Power Shut Down Due to Coal Shortage This Durga Puja

GUWAHATI: Like other states in India, Assam is also facing Coal Crisis. Notably, there are chances that the state of Assam might also see power shut down due to the Coal Shortage.

In a public notice from the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL), it stated that "Due to limited coal availability, the generation of power from Thermal Generating Stations has decreased considerably, The power position is clearly 'At critical level and power outages/load shedding may be inevitable. Kindly 7. bear with us and use electricity judiciously. Energy saved is energy generated. Inconvenience caused is highly regretted. Please pay your energy bill on time and help us to serve you better !"

In India, the supply of coal has reached a record low with coal-fired power plants reporting only three days of supply in stock.

According to the data released by the Indian government, about half of the 135 coal-fired power plants of the country have been reported less than three days of fuel stocks against the federal guidelines which suggest at least two weeks of fuel stocks.

Some of the northern and southern states of India are already facing a shortage of power. The capital of India, New Delhi, is likely to be the next one to be hit by a power outage.

Most importantly, officials have warned the fuel may not be restocked even during winter.

Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, has moved the central government requesting more supply of power and gas to power plants that provide electricity to the capital.

The sudden shortage of fuels in India can be attributed to the almost negligible import of coal due to the surging global prices. Additionally, the demand for coal from industries have put the power producers in a tight spot.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government has issued warnings of a potential blackout after it announced that only one day of coal supply was left in stock.

Here are some potential next steps and constraints in India's crisis as per industries experts.

Mining Rebound

State-run Coal India Ltd., the world's top producer of the fuel, is seeking to increase daily coal supply to 1.9 million tons by mid-October from about 1.7 million tons currently, an increase that would go a long way to help ease the deficit. Deliveries to power plants are currently short by between 60,000 and 80,000 tons a day, according to Anil Kumar Jain, India's coal secretary.

Supply Controls

Rationing domestic power supplies, especially in rural and semi-urban areas, may emerge as one of India's easiest solutions -- though it'd pose other challenges for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Price Incentive

Soaring power prices could potentially make it viable for some coastal plants to use high-cost imported coal, easing some of the burden on domestic miners.

Fuller Dams

The same monsoon rains that have flooded coal mines are likely to boost hydro-power generation.

Large hydro-electric projects on dams are India's major electricity source after coal and the sector performs at its peak around the rainy season which typically extends from June to October.

Turn to Gas

There could be a larger role for natural gas to play, even with global prices currently surging. India has almost 25 gigawatts of gas-based generation capacity, though nearly 80% of that capacity remains unused because of high prices of the fuel.

Also Read: With Lebanon Facing Power Outage Due To Coal, India Warns Of Potential Shut Down Of Coal-Fired Power Plants

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