India's power shortage eases to 1.50 MU on October 30 as electricity demand falls

The shortage has stayed small since mid-October

The energy shortage is the electricity demand that India's grid could not supply. It is measured in million units (MU) of electricity. Data from the grid operator, Grid-India, show:

• The all-India shortage was 1.50 MU on October 30, up from 0.08 MU the day before.
• It has stayed under 1.5 MU every day since October 18.
• It was 31.3 MU on October 14.

Lower demand is the main reason

Maximum demand met is the highest power load the grid supplied during the day, measured in megawatts (MW). It was 228,569 MW on October 30. It was about 260,700 MW on October 5 and October 8, and 256,481 MW on October 14. Energy met, the total electricity supplied over the day, was 4,743 MU. That is about 13% below the 5,473 MU of October 14. Demand has fallen after the monsoon and the festive season.

Coal plants are burning less

Coal generation was 3,663 MU on October 30. That is about 12% below the October 14 high of 4,168 MU. It has held around 3,650–3,690 MU for four days. This should ease the pressure on coal stocks at power plants.

Hydro output is still weak, and some evening gaps remain

• Hydro generation fell to 320 MU, from 457 MU on October 16, consistent with the weak monsoon.
• Renewable generation (wind, solar, biomass and others) was 842–938 MU over October 27–30, compared with about 780–820 MU in mid-October. This made up some of the gap.
• Solar generation held steady at about 620 MU.
• Peak shortages outside solar hours still appear on some days: 323 MW on October 26 and 101 MW on October 28.