Domestic electricity demand accelerated as India battled scorching heat this March-April – the hottest since records were first set in 1901.
But power generation plummeted as coal supplies became dangerously short in many states, such as Haryana. PunjabA state in Eastern India, JharkhandRajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtraand Andhra Pradesh which is heavily dependent on coal-fired plants for power generation.
The dry season added to the challenges as the water level in the rivers dropped to reduce hydropower generation. For example, Rajasthan has a generation capacity of 10,110MW a day, of which only 6,600MW is being produced at present due to shortage of coal.
As the shortage sparked fears of widespread blackouts, many states adopted measures such as selective power cuts in rural areas to meet demand in urban and industrial areas.
States like Karnataka have not reported any shortfall so far and domestic and industrial units were getting power supply for 22-24 hours, but as a precaution, farmers have been given electricity only for seven hours to run irrigation pumps. Most states recorded a jump in domestic demand with rising temperatures and renewed efforts from factories to ramp up manufacturing after the pandemic.
Andhra saw a 46% increase in demand as compared to 2020. The rural areas of Andhra were witnessing power cuts in the evening and night for four to six hours almost regularly for the past three weeks, but farmers were spared. They were getting uninterrupted supply for seven hours a day.
A two-day power holiday was declared for industries apart from cutting the supply of 50% of the total requirement for the remaining five days.
Industrialized states like Gujarat, Maharashtra and Punjab were forced to make adjustments. According to the Western Region Load Despatch Center (WRLDC), Gujarat recorded the highest power demand of 20,535 MW on April 26. Thermal plants operating at 45 per cent capacity have forced the state to buy power from the open market at a hefty price of Rs 12 per unit.
This is set to reduce the margins of businesses and increase the electricity bills of households. On March 31, a weekly holiday was issued to the industries running continuously. Punjab saw a 35% increase in power demand – 8,000 MW in April, compared to an increase of 6,000 MW in the same period last year.
Punjab-based power company PSPCL is buying power from open sources at Rs 10.7 per unit as it had to shut down its thermal units due to shortage of coal.
In Maharashtra, peak demand was between 27,000MW and 28,000MW in April, which is higher than the previous summer months. “There is load-shedding in 15 states, but we were able to ensure that peak demand is met without power cuts,” said Vijay SinghaliManaging Director of State Discom MSEDCL.
The state increased power generation for the first time in six decades with all 27 thermal units working together, producing 7,700 MW.
Private firms such as Adani Power’s Tiroda plant also increased their production to almost 100%.
Nevertheless, the state saw a shortfall of around 2,500 MW and power cuts were recorded in some areas. India’s major coal supplier Chhattisgarh has not reported any power cuts, but urban areas in neighboring Jharkhand have witnessed 17 hours of load-shedding since April 11, as the state’s average daily demand rose to 2,100MW, while The supply was 1,600. MW Jharkhand’s own plants were not operating at optimum level due to shortage of coal.
Similarly, Bihar had a deficit of 1,000 MW on April 28. State Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said the situation would improve when one unit of the Nabinagar Thermal Plant starts operating.