Ministry of Power intervenes as monsoons deplete India's coal reserves

The Ministry of Power is actively consulting control groups to safeguard grid stability as heavy monsoon rains severely depleted India's coal inventories while electricity demand surges due to unseasonably hot El Niño weather. According to government data as of August 25, 45 thermal power plants are operating with critically low coal stocks— holding reserves below 25% of required normative levels or maintaining less than three days of fuel to generate electricity. This marks a sharp escalation from the end of July, when 31 plants faced similar critical shortfalls. The ongoing supply crisis stems from intense seasonal rainfall flooding major open-cast mines and disrupting vital rail transport corridors, creating severe bottlenecks in fuel dispatches.