India's coal inventory crisis: Power rationing spreads, impacting both industry and households

(1) According to foreign media reports, coal inventories at Indian power plants have declined sharply, with the impact spreading throughout the economy, causing factories, smelters, and households to experience power outages and rising energy costs. (2) India is facing its weakest monsoon since 2015, leading to reduced hydropower output; at the same time, unusually high temperatures have increased the demand for air conditioning and agricultural irrigation. (3) Coal-fired power plants, which supply about two-thirds of India's electricity, are rapidly depleting their inventories. As grid demand exceeds supply, small factories, farmers, and households have begun experiencing power cuts. (4) Large industrial users such as metal smelting, chemical, and paper companies are unable to obtain sufficient fuel for self-power generation because the state-owned Coal India Limited prioritizes supplying coal to power producers connected to the grid.