Maharashtra Energy Minister: Load Shedding occurring due to coal scarcity

Maharashtra is experiencing load shedding due to a spike in electricity consumption following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions and a coal supply constraint, according to state energy minister Nitin Raut.

Maharashtra is experiencing load shedding due to a spike in electricity consumption following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions and a coal supply constraint, according to state energy minister Nitin Raut.

He accused the federal government for bad coal supply and railway rack management, claiming that certain plants in the state barely have six days’ worth of coal storage.

Advertisement

“Some plants in Maharashtra are left with one and a half days of coal, some with three days and some others with six days of coal. The state government is working to resolve the power crisis,” Raut was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

“The minister of water resources has been urged to provide water for hydroelectricity generation.” But there are 17 TMCs of water remaining in Koyna Dam, and one TMC is needed every day to create energy,” he noted.

He further noted that the state is entitled to APM gas under the terms of the deal with the Centre.

“They aren’t doing the same for us.” The Maharashtra government must provide the central government with 2200 crores. “They instructed us to give them the money first, and then they’ll give us the coal,” Raut claimed.

“If load-shedding has to be resolved then coal, water and gas are needed,” he said.

He further stated that the coal scarcity is not confined to Maharashtra, but is widespread throughout India, and that the Union power minister has met with energy ministers from all states, urging them to import coal.

“The demand for electricity has increased manifold since the economy reopened after the Covid-19 pandemic abated across the country. Electricity is not available for purchase in the open market,” he said.

His comments came only days after the state cabinet approved the state-owned Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) purchasing energy for the next two months in order to avoid load shedding.

Maharashtra’s power demand has reached a new high of 28,000 megawatts (MW). The MSEDCL is currently serving a demand of roughly 24,800 MW, up about 4,000 MW from the preceding year.

Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited (MahaGenco), according to sources, is planning to import 20 lakh metric tonnes of coal, which is expected to arrive at power plants by mid-May.

Across the country, there is a coal shortage.

According to a Reuters article, India is likely to have more power outages this year since coal supplies are at their lowest pre-summer levels in at least nine years, while electricity consumption is predicted to climb at the quickest rate in at least 38 years.

According to the news agency, the lack of electricity as a proportion of demand has risen to 1.4 percent in the last week, surpassing the 1% deficit in October, when India last faced a significant coal crisis, and the 0.5 percent shortfall in March.

The southern state of Andhra Pradesh, which is home to automakers like Kia Motors and drug companies like Pfizer, is experiencing a power shortage of 8.7%.

At the start of this fiscal year, beginning on April 1, coal inventories at power plants had an average stock of nine days, the lowest since at least 2014. According to government rules, power plants should maintain at least 24 days of stock on hand on average.

Coal is responsible for about 75% of India’s power generation.