New Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday warned of a looming power crisis in the Indian capital, believing that some of the city's main coal-fired power plants have barely a day left. of stock.
Several states in eastern and southern India have been hit by shortages, forcing public providers to unexpected power cuts.
The shortage in India, the world's second largest consumer of coal, follows widespread power outages in China, which have caused plant closures and severely affected production and supply channels around the world.
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"
Delhi could face an electricity crisis
," Kejriwal said, adding that the megalopolis has already struggled to source energy for the past three months.
As Asia's third-largest economy rebounds after suffering from the coronavirus, monsoon rains have flooded coal mines and disrupted transportation networks, causing international coal prices like those in India to soar.
The ongoing long festival season in India has also contributed to the increase in demand for electricity.
“
I am personally monitoring the situation closely.
We are doing our best to avoid
this crisis, ”Kejriwal said on Twitter.
20 million inhabitants
He urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the issue immediately, saying any major disruption would affect hospitals and disrupt the coronavirus vaccination of his city's 20 million residents. At the end of September, coal-fired power plants in India had an average stock of four days, the lowest in years.
Coal powers nearly 70% of the country's electricity production and accounts for about three-quarters of the fossil fuels it uses.
More than half of the power plants are on alert and the government plans to put the idling power plant back into service.
The state-controlled giant Coal India, which provides most of the country's supply, has declared itself on “
war footing
” to ensure sufficient supplies.
