Power equations

Proactive focus on thermal power needs a rethink

With northern India facing the longest and most intensive heatwaves in decades, national power demand has hit 250 Gw, 25 per cent more than last year and 71 per cent more than in 2022. The power ministry has rightly taken pride in ensuring that thermal power stations have adequate stocks of coal to keep the lights, fans, and air-conditioning on. This has been a chronic problem in previous summers, leading to prolonged outages. This year, with the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor operational from October 2023, coal stocks have reached plants well on time. As on June 23,