Andhra Pradesh: Discoms expect power crisis in July-August, plan green projects – EQ Mag Pro

VISAKHAPATNAM: The Andhra Pradesh energy department is anticipating another spell of electricity shortage in July-August as uncertainty continues over coal stocks at thermal stations. The onset of the southwest monsoon in the coming days may hamper mining and transportation of coal.

The thermal plants were unable to address a minor spike in power demand this summer due to the severe shortage of coal. India may witness a peak power demand of 214 gigawatt in August, as per the report of the central electricity authority of India. If the thermal stations fail to stock adequate coal before the onset of the monsoon, power shortage may become imminent in the third quarter of the year.

Considering all these factors, energy minister Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy asked power utilities to formulate a plan to address the probable power shortage in the coming months. The minister advised them to focus on enhancing installation capacity of green energy projects, which can be a better alternative to the conventional plants.

“Even though India had a coal mining capacity of over 1,500 million tons in 2021, the total production was limited to 777 million tons. The ministry of power has recently communicated to states that coal transportation needs to be improved for the next two years. It has also advised to import 10% of total coal utilisation. As the country may head towards another power shortage in July-August, this will be a challenge for the power utilities of Andhra Pradesh to procure coal and ensure reliable power supply to the consumers,” said Ramachandra Reddy.

Source: PTI