India is struggling with a shortage of coal and electricity

In addition to Europe, the energy crisis has affected the Asian continent. In addition to the most affected China, however, India is also struggling with a shortage of coal and electricity. Its coal reserves are at a critically low level in most of the local power plants. About 63 of India's 135 power plants currently have coal reserves for only two or even fewer days, according to the country's Electricity Authority (CEA). Seventeen power plants even have zero coal reserves, informs CNN. A total of 75 Indian power plants have coal reserves for five days or less, and according to the CEA, India is in a "supercritical" situation. Although the countries will not shut down these power plants yet, they will no longer be able to operate if coal supplies are disrupted or demand is higher. This poses a great risk to India, as 70 percent of India's electricity production depends on coal. According to Indian Energy Minister R. K. Singh, the situation will not improve soon. "A good situation in the field of coal supply may not come in another five or six months," he told The Indian Express. Electricity demand in India, on the other hand, has risen sharply in recent months as businesses recover from a wave of covid pandemics. In a statement last month, the energy ministry said it was "a good sign for the economy and encouraging" because it means more households can afford electricity and industry returns to pre-pandemic levels. "Demand will not go away, it will increase," Singh told The Indian Express some time ago. "An additional 28.2 million customers have been added. Most of them are people from the lower middle class and the poor who buy fans, lights or televisions, "he added. Now, however, the high demand for energy does not bring much joy to the Indian government. India's coal supply was affected by the monsoon season, when heavy rainfall affected mining and transportation. Singh therefore said that the current coal shortage is critical, although it has not yet caused any major power outages. However, if India fails to resolve the coal crisis soon, energy companies risk importing coal at much higher prices, which analysts say will damage the country's economic recovery after the pandemic.