The Delhi administration warned on Thursday of a possible setback in delivering uninterrupted energy to essential institutions in the capital, including Metro trains and hospitals, amid a worsening coal shortage.
Satyendar Jain, the Power Minister, convened an emergency meeting to examine the situation and wrote to the Centre, urging that additional coal be made available to power facilities that serve the national capital.
“Due to disruption of power supply from Dadri-II and Unchahar power stations, there may be a problem in 24-hours power supply to many essential institutions, including Delhi Metro and Delhi government hospitals,” According to a government statement.
These power plants currently meet 25-30% of Delhi’s electricity consumption, and they are experiencing a coal scarcity, according to Jain.
He stated that the administration was closely watching the situation and was doing all necessary to ensure that people in various parts of the capital would not experience power disruptions.
“These power stations play an important role in preventing blackouts in some parts of Delhi and are also essential to ensure the continuous supply of electricity to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, hospitals, and people in the upcoming summer season,” the minister said.
The Dadri-II and Jhajjar (Aravali) power plants of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) were built largely to supply Delhi’s power needs.
Even at these power facilities, however, there is very little coal left, according to the statement.
Delhi receives 1,751 megawatts (MW) of electricity per day from the Dadri-II, Unchahar, Kahalgaon, Farakka, and Jhajjar power plants.
The Dadri-II power station provides the capital with the maximum supply of 728 MW, while the Unchahar station provides 100 MW.
According to the National Power Portal’s daily coal report, all of these power stations are experiencing a severe coal shortage.
This, combined with the hot summer, has resulted in blackouts in several regions of the country as governments struggle to keep up with the surge in electricity demand.
Apart from increasing coal supplies to power plants, the Union government has advised states to increase imports over the next three years to build up inventories.
According to the All India Power Engineers Federation, thermal plants across the country are experiencing coal shortages, signaling a coming power crisis.