The country is at a standstill due to the severe power crisis following the coal shortage. Apart from the national capital Delhi, states like Punjab and Bihar have also come under severe power restrictions as thermal power plants have been shut down.
Due to the high heat, consumption is on the rise and coal is in short supply to meet the demand for electricity. It is estimated that daily consumption is declining by 623 million units.
All the 147 thermal power plants in the country are facing coal shortage. Power restrictions are in place in most states. The power cut will last from three to eight hours in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Haryana.
The Delhi government has said that strategic institutions, including the Metro, may be disrupted due to non-availability of power full time. An emergency meeting was convened under the chairmanship of Energy Minister Satyender Jain in the context of affecting the functioning of hospitals. The Delhi government has written to the Center asking it to take immediate action.
In Uttar Pradesh, only a quarter of the total demand is for coal reserves. In Punjab, farmers started agitating due to non-availability of electricity for agriculture. Electricity demand has increased by 40 per cent due to extreme heat. In Bihar, power cuts continue without any rural-urban divide. Power crisis continues in Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Goa and other southern states including Kerala.
Only about a quarter of what is needed in thermal power plants is stored. The crisis will intensify in the coming days as it becomes obsolete.
The factories were shut down due to power outages in the industrial areas. This would be a major setback for the economy on the path to recovery from the recession caused by Kovid.
There may be a power outage on May 3rd
Thiruvananthapuram: KSEB chairman B Ashok said that a shortfall of 400 MW is expected on May 3 and there may be a need for power regulation in the state on that day as well. KSEB is working hard to avoid power outages. Until May 31, an additional 250 MW will be purchased at Rs 20 per unit. He said the assessment was that there would be no significant power shortage in the next two days.
English Summary: Power crisis worsens: Country stagnates
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