The share of coal in India’s electricity generation reached the highest level in at least 9 quarters during the first three months of 2021.
The share of renewable energy increased in 2020 when the total electricity demand was reduced by lockdowns to limit the epidemic. This year, seasonal factors have limited production of renewables, which are weather-dependent, helping to reverse the coal share. Coal and lignite share increased to 78.9% for the quarter ended March 31, up from 75.9% a year earlier, an analysis of daily load dispatch data by regulator POSOCO showed.
Coal’s contribution to India’s annual electricity generation fell for the second straight year in 2020, the data show, marking a departure from decades of growth in coal-fired electricity.
The steady increase in the share of renewables made it part of a decline of less than 60% in electricity generation for the first time in decades on 12 August.
Five months later, coal’s contribution to Delipower production exceeded 80% for the first time, for at least 750 days on 20 January, a feat that was repeated on 9 March to 31 March, data showed.
Data from POSOCO showed that coal-fired power recovery increased with incoming electricity demand in India: demand and share of coal-fired power rose for seven months in early September.
India’s annual electricity demand declined for the first time in the fiscal year in March, with a decline of at least 35 years, with power consumption declining by the end of six months.
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