The Coal Ministry has said that there is sufficient stock of coal to meet the demand. (Representative)
New Delhi:
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday met his cabinet colleagues in charge of the coal and power ministries amid concerns over power shortage in many parts of the country due to inadequate supply of coal.
During the hour-long meeting, the three ministers are believed to have discussed the availability of coal to power plants and the current demands for electricity.
Senior bureaucrats as well as officials of state-run energy conglomerate NTPC Limited also attended the meeting.
Several states have warned of blackouts, even as the central government has assured that India has enough coal stock to meet the demand for its power plants, allaying fears of an imminent blackout in New Delhi and other cities. is demanding.
The current fuel stock at coal-fired plants is around 7.2 million tonnes, which is enough for four days, the Coal Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
State-owned mining company Coal India also has a stock of over 40 million tonnes which is being supplied to power stations.
“Any fear of disruption in power supply is completely false,” the ministry said.
The clarification comes a day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal warned of a power crisis in the megacity, which is home to over 2 crore people.
In recent months, many areas across India have faced supply shortages, with utility providers resorting to unscheduled power cuts.
India’s coal-fired power stations had an average of four days of stock at the end of September, the lowest in years.
The reduction in India, the world’s second-largest coal-consuming country, follows widespread power cuts in China, which have shut factories and affected production and global supply chains.
Coal accounts for about 70 percent of India’s electricity generation and nearly three-quarters of fossil fuels are mined domestically.
As Asia’s third-largest economy followed a coronavirus wave, heavy monsoon rains have flooded coal mines and disrupted transport networks, leading to a sharp rise in prices for coal buyers, including power stations.
International coal prices have also risen.
The ministry, however, was upbeat on Sunday, saying that “domestic supply has largely supported power generation” despite a heavy monsoon and a huge increase in power demand.
(with inputs from AFP)
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