By Sudarshan Varadhan and Gabrielle Ng
SINGAPORE- India’s coal-fired power output fell for a second straight month in September on an annual basis due to slower growth in electricity use and a surge in solar generation, a Reuters review of data from the federal grid regulator showed.
The decline reflects a shift in fuel use patterns in the world’s fastest growing major economy and third-largest greenhouse gas emitter. It follows 47 straight months of year-over-year growth in coal use for power generation.
Electricity use in India has been rising since the pandemic due to a surging economy as well as heatwaves. However, higher rainfall during this year’s monsoon reduced air-conditioning demand and weighed on power consumption, analysts say.
Total power generated from plants running on coal and lignite fell 5.8 percent annually in September and 4.9 percent in August, data from state-run Grid-India showed, compared with a 10 percent growth during the first seven months of the year.
Slowing growth in overall power demand, which grew 1.1 percent year-over-year during the September quarter compared with a 9.7 percent increase during the first half of the year, has helped the country reduce coal use.
Heavy September rainfall in the west and north resulted in lower power demand, CRISIL, a unit of ratings agency S&P, said in a recent note.
Meanwhile, higher installations boosted solar power generation up by 26.4 percent annually in September – the highest rate of growth in 12 months – pushing the share of renewable energy in India’s electricity output to a record high of 13.9 percent during the quarter. – Reuters
