Many states of the country are facing power crisis these days. After Covid, for the rapid growth of the economy, production increased in factories, irrigation done in the fields, for this electricity is necessary. But the current situation is showing signs of a bigger crisis going ahead. Let us take an in-depth look at the reasons for deepening of power crisis in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan.
This situation of power crisis has arisen due to shortage of coal. Most of the electricity in the country is generated from coal-fired power plants. The power generation capacity of such power plants is currently 204080 MW. This is 51.1 percent of the total electricity generation. According to a report, 81 out of 150 coal-fired power plants in the country are short of coal. This is the situation in all 7 thermal plants of Rajasthan. There is a shortage of coal in 3 out of 4 government thermal plants in UP. There are massive power cuts in both these states. One of the reasons for the shortage of coal in the power plant is that due to the Russia-Ukraine war, the price of coal has increased.
In such a situation, the government has reduced the supply of coal from Russia and other countries, due to which the total import of coal this year has come down by about 15%. The rise in gas prices is also being blamed for the power shortage.
There has also been a decrease in hydro power that is generated from water. These days hydro power plants are able to generate electricity only 30% to 40% of their capacity due to the scarcity of water coming from the mountains in the rivers.
Another reason is the weather. This summer camped out sooner than last year. The demand for electricity which used to be in May-June, this time it started happening in the beginning of April itself. According to the power ministry, the demand for electricity stood at 201.066 GW on April 26, while it reached 204.653 GW till Thursday. Last year the highest demand was 200.53 GW. The ministry says that in May-June, the demand can reach 215 to 216 GW.
Due to power crisis, people in many states including Haryana, Rajasthan are facing long cuts.
