Some Indian provinces have suffered power cuts following an order to close six coal-fired power plants out of 11 in New Delhi to cut pollution.
According to the Power System Operation Corp. (POSOCO), the federal power grid regulator, companies in Punjab and Haryana were reporting power supply shortages when electricity demand peaked during the evening.
According to Reuters calculation based on the figures mentioned in the letter from POSOCO to state government-run utilities in Punjab and Haryana, in November, Haryana reported shortages of up to 1.4% of average consumption while Punjab's supply fell short of average consumption by up to 4.4%.
Two senior officials at the Punjab utility and one senior official at the Haryana utility said that the unscheduled power cuts were mostly due to an inability to operate coal-fired power plants in the state.
One Punjab official commented, "We are left with no choice but to cut power because we have to adhere to the CAQM notification.”
Previously, on November 16, the federal government-appointed Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) issued a directive for six power plants to remain inoperative at least till 30th November to improve air quality.
And, as there has been no written communication from the CAQM, it was not immediately clear when the officials can resume operating the coal-fired plants.
