'Only one day's coal stock left': Delhi minister warns of power crisis

Delhi is dependent on the Centre-run power plants, which provide power supply according to the demand.

The national Capital has only one day of stock left at the thermal power station, from where Delhi gets its electricity, power minister Satyendra Jain said on Saturday amid the coal crisis in the city. "There is an acute shortage of coal in coal-fired power plants across the country. There is only one day's stock left in the plants from which Delhi gets electricity, there is no coal at all," said the power minister, according to an ANI report.

Delhi power minister informed that the city's power plants are running on only 55 per cent capacity and it has now "come to the point of rationing". (Bloomberg)

He also noted that the city is dependent on the Centre-run power plants, which provide power supply according to the demand and warned that the city might plunge into darkness after two days. "After two days, there will be a complete blackout in the whole Delhi, if we do not receive more power supply from the Centre," ANI quoted him as saying.

Delhi is staring at a severe power crisis due to the acute coal shortage at thermal power plants in the country. In India, over half of 135 coal-fired power plants, which supply around 70% of the country's electricity, have fuel stocks to last less than three days, news agency Reuters had reported Friday. Other states that are facing a similar crisis include Tamil Nadu and Odisha.

The minister further informed that the city's power plants are running on only 55 per cent capacity and it has now "come to the point of rationing". "There is a coal shortage even when production plants are not running at full capacity. Appeal to Centre look into the matter. We have a power purchase agreement where they are giving us half of the electricity. We have come to the point of rationing," Jain also said, as per ANI.

In order to resolve the power crisis in Delhi, the government is ready to buy expensive electricity at present, Jain said. He also held a meeting with the representatives of power distribution companies (discoms) in Delhi to discuss the issue.

"We want the plants to generate 45,000 MW of electricity during this peak hour," he said, adding, "we have also made power purchase agreements with NTPC of 35,000 MW-45,000 MW. Still, we are ready to buy the expensive electricity today at the cost of ₹20 per unit."

Speaking further on the crisis, Jain warned that there could be politics on the issue, as it "appears to be a man-made crisis similar to the oxygen crisis". "We have 3.5 times more production capacity than what we require and still, we aren't able to produce power," Jain added.