States in India cut off electricity due to coal shortage
India’s power supply deficit in October is 11.2% of the 2021 deficit. Jharkhand, Bihar and Rajasthan are among the worst affected states
The power cuts and outages are the result of coal shortages. Analysis of government data and interviews with residents revealed that this contradicted the government’s assurances that electricity was sufficient.
The shortage in India, the world’s biggest coal consumer after China, followed massive blackouts in neighbouring China, which closed factories and schools to deal with the crisis.
According to the federal grid operator, more than half of India’s 135 coal-fired power plants, which generate about 70% of its electricity, have fuel reserves of less than three days.