India on the brink of blackout: Experts fear massive power cut

India on the brink of blackout: Experts fear massive power cut to rival August 2012 grid collapse that left 600 MILLION without electricity

Of the 100 power plants monitored by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), as many as 38 are left with only a week's worth of coal to burn, while 20 have as little as four or even zero days of coal stocks

In the northern region which comprises power stations at Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, six power stations have less than seven days of coal stock left, and three have less than four days of the fuel. 

There are a total of 26 power stations in the region.

The situation is as dangerous in the western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra and in the central states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. As many as 16 power plants in these states have less than a week's stock of coal, while 10 plants are left with less than four days of stock.

As many as nine power stations in the southern region - Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala - have reported less than seven days of fuel stock, of which three have less than 4 days of stock

A senior National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) official told "Currently, six of our coal-based projects, including two that supply power to the national capital, are critically short of coal. The reserve coal available at these projects is just for one day or even less."

The officer said that 23 of NTPC's coal-based projects are running at full capacity but do not have adequate coal reserves.

Heat derived from burning coal is used to produce steam that moves turbines to produce electricity.

Most coal-based power plants keep at least a week's worth of coal in reserve. NTPC projects generate around 36,000 MW of power, which is sold for Rs 2.90 per unit to power distribution companies.

NTPC also has seven gas and solar-based power units, which have a power-generating capacity of 4,000 MW.

An acute shortage of gas, however, means that the NTPC's gas-based projects presently run at half capacity, generating only 2,000 MW of power