New Delhi, 22 April 2022: Owing to an unprecedented hike in coal prices, several coal facilities, industries and other institutions have been shut down. This has led to long power outages in many parts of the country, simultaneously, coal is being bought at as high as Rs 12 per unit, said Rajiv Goyal, Senior Power Consultant.
An 11% increase in coal prices has been anticipated in the next few years, said Chairman, Coal India, Pramod Agrawal. There has also been a simultaneous increase in coal prices since the last few days. On 15th April, the cost was Rs 9.50 per unit which has now reached to Rs 12, Goyal added.
“Coal is mined, not produced. One day, it will get depleted. Due to industrialization and increased commercial use, we require more electricity, as a result the coal is getting depleted at an increasing rate,” said Manish Aggarwal, Director, Enkay Solar Power.
The government had stated that states can import the required coal to meet their needs, however, the prices of coal in other countries are also touching the skies, as a result the cost of coal in India has also increased, said goyal.
There are 12 states in India that are facing a shortage of coal to operate thermal power facilities. Coal is deemed to be a critical component of India’s power industry, since the fossil fuel accounts for more than 70% of the country’s electrical output. This shortfall at a time when the country is recovering from the effects of the Covid disaster might severely impact the economy, as per the All India Power Engineers Federation.
The Central Electricity Authority has stated that coal stock at 81 of the 150 thermal power units that use domestic coal is critical, according to the statement.
There are two primary ways to deal with the coal shortage, it includes power outages or reduced consumption of electricity, said Rajiv Goyal. In the next 10-15 years coal mines will get totally exhausted. We should encourage the usage of renewable energy, as an atlernates source. If we start replacing the non-renewable energy with renewable energy, the demand for coal will decrease, Manish Aggarwal added.
For instance, Noida’s requirement is 1 gigawatt and if they install solar panel producing 1 gigawatt energy, Noida will not have to be dependent on external sources. This region is rich on solar energy. For this region, solar is most appropriate as wind and hydroelectricity is not suitable, he explained.
In order to deal with the coal shortage and price hikes, experts have encouraged the people to use fewer lights, air conditioners, and other forms of energy, as an informed citizen. Also, as soon as possible, citizens are encouraged to construct a solar power plant in homes, even if it is only 500 watts, to help with reduced grid demand.
