Janjivan Bureau / New Delhi : Amidst a scorching summer and an uptick in industrial production, reports of shortage of coal leading to electricity blackouts have started trickling in as several states in India struggle to manage record demand for electricity and low feedstock at power plants. The key states facing the issue of coal shortage are Delhi, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh among others. Power crisis: Trains cancelled for coal movement India has cancelled some 42 passenger trains to allow for faster movement of coal carriages as the nation scrambles to replenish depleting inventories at power plants in a bid to avoid a full-blown power crisis. Earlier in the day, Delhi Power Minister Satyendar Jain said that some power plants have less than a day’s worth of coal stock left. “There is no backup for electricity. Electricity can’t be stored. It is produced every day. Coal is stored. In normal circumstances, the coal stock should be around 21 days. There are many power plants that are left with one day of coal stock,” he said. This comes after the Delhi government on Thursday warned of a possible setback in providing an uninterrupted electricity supply to important establishments in the capital, including Metro trains and hospitals.
Punjab power minister Harbhajan Singh said that driven by the rising temperature, the demand for electricity shot up by 40 per cent compared to the corresponding period of last year. Not only Punjab, other states too are facing similar problems, he said, adding Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was monitoring the situation.
