Power Crisis: India may face power crisis in July-August, CREA report
Power plants across the country have 20.7 million tonnes of coal reserves.
Power Crisis: Due to the depletion of coal reserves in thermal power plants in India before the monsoon , it is indicating that another energy crisis may arise in the country by July-August. This has been said in the report of the independent research organization Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). Power stations located at the mines currently have coal reserves of 13.5 million tonnes.
Power plants have 2.07 million tonnes of coal reserves
Power plants across the country have 20.7 million tonnes of coal reserves. CREA, in its report titled 'Failed to Lift: India's Energy Crisis Is a Coal Management Crisis', said, "Data collected from official sources show that coal-fired power plants are in a position to withstand even a modest increase in energy demand." and coal transportation needs to be planned in advance.
Difficulties in transportation of coal in monsoon
The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) estimates that the maximum energy demand will reach 214 GW in August. Apart from this, the average power demand can also exceed 13,3426 million units during May. CREA said, “With the advent of the south-west monsoon, there will be difficulties in mining and also in transportation of coal from mines to power stations. If coal reserves are not built up to sufficient level before monsoon, then the country may face another power crisis in July-August.
Power crisis due to apathy of officials
The report said that the recent power crisis in the country was not due to coal production, but its "distribution and apathy of the authorities". "It is evident from the data that despite adequate coal mining, adequate coal reserves were not maintained in thermal power plants," it said.
Record production of coal in India
India recorded a record production of 777.2 million tonnes of coal in the year 2021-22, which is 8.54 percent higher than the production of 716 million tonnes a year earlier. Sunil Dahiya, analyst at CREA, said that in 2021-22, the country's total mining capacity stood at 150 million tonnes, while the total production stood at 777.2 million tonnes, which is exactly half of the production capacity.
There is no shortage of coal, there is a problem of distribution
Dahiya said that if there was a real shortage of coal, then the coal companies had the option of increasing production. He said that this situation has just happened, it is not so. Coal reserves near power plants have been depleting continuously since May 2020. Dahiya said that the main reason for the situation of power crisis last year was that the power plant operators did not create enough coal reserves before the monsoon.