Remember how India was on the verge of an all-pervasive, unforgiving and embarrassing power blackout? Well, that was close to 20 days ago. Back then, Indian media outlets claimed that the country had coal reserves at thermal power plants which would last for not more than two days. They had claimed that after these reserves are over, India would turn black. Close to three weeks later, no part of India has faced a power blackout, and instead, coal supply has begun stabilising across the country. Now, China is livid – for reasons best known to it. Perhaps, its campaign to destabilise India using its stooges in the media did not work out as planned.
The Delicious Global Times Meltdown
China has been battered by power blackouts. Its industries have been forced to shut, houses have been told not to use electricity and exports are inevitably taking a hit due to a manufacturing halt. Nevertheless, China has the gall to use its state propaganda outlet to spread lies about India’s coal situation. In a piece titled, “As power shortages in China ease, India is still grappling with supply bottlenecks,” Global Times has claimed that while China has taken measures to resolve its power shortage, its neighbour, India, which faces the same problem, remains in trouble.
Global Times, in its fascinating report which reeked of jealously claimed, “India’s system gives local governments more power than the central government, so it’s more difficult for the national authorities to mobilize public resources on a large scale.” We hate to burst China’s bubble, but that’s how democracies function, sweetheart – something you would have no idea about.
A random ‘expert’ quoted by Global Times remarked, “The electricity system in India is poorly managed and its energy structure is more dependent on thermal power than China’s, while other energy sources such as hydropower and wind power are underdeveloped.”
What’s the Truth?
The reality, much to China’s dismay, is that India has begun outperforming it in every sphere. Specifically talking about the coal scenario in India, and the all-out crisis in China, Beijing cannot fathom how its provinces turned dark and factories were forced to shut, while India almost seamlessly managed its coal shortage scare by ramping up supply despite surging global prices.
Over 90 per cent of India’s domestic demand is met by the internal production of coal. 70 per cent of India’s power is generated using domestically procured coal mainly. Essentially, India is not dependent on coal imports to fuel its power sector. In 2020 alone, domestic coal production stood at 678 MT, which fulfilled 90 per cent of our coal requirement, leaving an import legroom of merely 10 per cent. It is for this very reason that disruption in the global coal supply had a negligible impact on India’s power security.
Read more: After a crippling coal crisis, China is facing a crippling Diesel crisis
China, on the other hand, depends on exported coal – and Xi Jinping’s unofficial ban on Australian coal imports is really at the centre of all of China’s present woes vis a vis power. Therefore, when a power shortage struck China, it had to scramble desperately to begin domestic production out of local mines which have been shut for long periods of time.
India, on the other hand, has a robust domestic coal supply chain that is not impacted by global occurrences. This is why India was able to effortlessly handle the coal situation recently, and ensure that no part of the country slips into darkness. And the efficacy with which India handled what could have been an all-out crisis is what has riled up China.
China’s Coal Crisis
China is reeling under an intense power crisis. Industries are not being allowed to function in the Communist nation, as the CCP regime resorts to unprecedented industrial power rationing. So, China – which is a major global exporter of Aluminium, finds itself in the unique position of not manufacturing any Aluminium.
China’s power crisis is bigger than you would think. At least 20 provinces in China have been hit by some kind of power cuts and outages. These provinces make up over two-thirds of China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The manufacturing powerhouses of China – Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong provinces are among the worst hit. Together they account for one-third of the Chinese economy and lead China’s colossal exports industry.
Ceramics, stainless steel, fertilizers, and food processing units, you simply cannot think of a Chinese industry that remained immune from the ongoing power crisis. Coal provides half of China’s energy needs.
So, given how China has failed magnificently at avoiding a coal crisis and intense power shortage, India handling its coal situation seamlessly only added insult to injury for the CCP – which deployed its foremost propaganda publication to paint a doomsday picture for our country, albeit, unsuccessfully.