There is a Huge Need for Rationalization of Coal Distribution for Uninterrupted Power Supply

During the first quarter of this year, warnings have been issued in terms of heatwaves that posed a serious threat to the country’s electricity generation. According to a report by S&P Global, India’s electricity demand increased by 8.7 percent in 2022, and on the other hand, coal generation increased by 8.7 percent causing massive emissions. Now, speaking of the higher demand, the Central Power Ministry started finding out solutions to provide ample power during the summer months. Under the emergency provision in the Electricity Act, the government can ask the electricity-generation companies to operate and maintain output as the orders given. The government has also urged the imported coal-based thermal power plants to operate at full capacity for three months. As per an exclusive report of the New Indian Express, the average maximum demand met in the first 13 days of June 2023 was more than 213 GW compared to 197 GW in June 2022, while the average daily shortage up to June 13 was 4.7 GW. Last year in June, the average daily shortage was 1.5 GW. In this regard, we spoke exclusively with Dr. Sreedhar Ramamurthi, earth scientist and geologist, who is also the founder at Environics Trust. He highlighted the current challenges and the causes, the solutions that we must look for, and the loopholes between the government and power generation firms.

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