India Faces Power Blackouts Amid Coal Stockpile Collapse
The Government of India is managing widespread power outages as coal stockpiles plunge due to extreme weather and weak monsoon rains.
Indian households, farmers, and factories are experiencing blackouts and rising energy costs as coal stockpiles at power stations plunge. Coal-fired plants, which provide approximately two-thirds of the national electricity supply, have rapidly depleted their inventories because demand is currently outweighing grid supply.
The Government of India is managing the crisis, which was triggered by hotter-than-normal weather that increased the use of air conditioning and farm irrigation. This heatwave coincided with the weakest monsoon since 2015, a factor that significantly reduced hydropower output and forced a heavier reliance on coal-fired generation.
