A lower pre-monsoon coal stock at thermal power plants in India is suggestive of another power crisis in July-August, independent research organisation CREA has said. The current coal stock stands at 13.5 million tonnes at pithead power stations and 20.7 MT cumulatively at all power plants across the country.

“The data compiled from official sources suggest the coal power plants are in no position to address even a minor spike in the power demand, and there is a need to plan for coal transportation well in advance,” Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air’s (CREA) latest report ‘Failure to load: India’s power crisis is a coal management crisis’. The Central Electricity Authority of India (CEA) has predicted a peak power demand of 214 GW in August. In addition, the average energy demand could also increase to more than what it is in the month of May to 1,33,426 million units (MUs).