Coal Crisis Explainer: Government claims - no coal crisis, then why 20 power stations were closed?
Power cut coal crisis: The coal crisis continues across the country. The government claims that there is no shortage of coal but in the meantime, 13 thermal power plants in Maharashtra and 7 in Punjab have also been closed.
Sunil Shukla 
The festival of Diwali is about to come and in such a situation there is a danger of a power crisis in India. There are 135 power stations in India where electricity is made from coal, but half of them have less than three days of coal left. About 70% of India's electricity supply comes from coal. India is the second-largest producer of coal in the world after China. There has also been a coal crisis in China and factories and schools have been closed there to deal with this crisis.
At the same time, regarding India, Union Energy Minister RK Singh claimed on Sunday that there was no coal crisis in the country, neither is there nor will there be. But despite that, the states have raised the question.
What does the government have to say about the shortage of coal?
On Sunday, Union Energy Minister RK Singh dismissed the talk of the shortage of coal in the country. He said that this was a deliberately created crisis. He had said that our officers are monitoring the coal stock every day. RK Singh had said, 'We will supply as much power as is required. Today we have 4.5 days of coal stock. So to say that as much coal as was needed was not found is misleading to say. You will get what you want.
However, he also said that there is no stock of 17 days as before, but there is a stock of four and a half days.
Also read- Coal stock power crisis: Four days of coal, then dark night? Stock for a few days in many power plants, know the rules
Why power crisis when there is no shortage of coal?
Now in such a situation, the question arises that when the government itself is saying that there is no coal crisis in the country, then why are thermal power plants shutting down? 13 thermal power plants in Maharashtra and 7 in Punjab have closed. There are reports of the closure of some plants in Kerala. Maharashtra Electricity Board has appealed to minimize the use of electricity from 6 am to 10 am and from 6 pm to 10 pm in the evening. Similarly, there has been a power crisis in Punjab and there will be a power cut of 3 hours every day till October 13.
Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia told in a press conference on Sunday that if there is 24-hour stock left in Delhi, then we will also have to plan a power cut. Manish Sisodia said that there is a shortage of coal in many power plants and the plants have also been closed.
Is there really a power crisis?
The news agency Reuters quoted data from POSOCO i.e. Power System Operation Corporation Limited, that in the 7 days of October, there was a decrease of 11.2% in power supply. POSOCO figures also show that the situation is worse in Jharkhand, Bihar, and Rajasthan. Jharkhand has recorded a power deficit of 18% to 24%, while Bihar has a 6% shortfall and Rajasthan 17%. The data also shows that industrial states like Gujarat and Haryana are also facing a power crisis. Along with this, there is a shortage in the supply of electricity in many parts of Uttar Pradesh as well.
MP claims - there is no shortage of coal
Shivraj Singh Chouhan's government of Madhya Pradesh has dismissed the talk of shortage of coal. Madhya Pradesh Energy Minister Pradyuman Singh Tomar said that the crisis is at the national level, but the situation in Madhya Pradesh is better.
Has Will electricity become expensive?
Due to the shortage of coal, the fear of electricity becoming expensive has also started haunting. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Sunday that after petrol and diesel, the government can also increase electricity prices. Former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh has demanded an inquiry into the shortage of coal.
How did the coal shortage happen?
The government has given four reasons for this...
1. The demand for electricity has increased as the economy improves.
2. In September, the production of coal has been affected due to heavy rains around the coal mines.
3. The prices of coal coming from abroad increased. This increased the dependence on domestic coal.
4. Do not stock coal before the onset of the monsoon.
What is the current status?
According to the data of the National Power Portal, out of 110 plants, there are 16 such plants whose stock is exhausted. At the same time, 30 plants have 1 day, 18 have 2 days, 19 have 3 days, 9 have 4 days, 6 have 5 days and 10 plants have 6 days coal stock. Whereas, there are only two plants which have 7 and 8 days stock.
