A nationwide coal shortage that has forced several utilities to almost run out of coal has resulted in Rajasthan taking the decision to schedule one-hour power cuts, the state said on Friday. 

Rajasthan’s government-run utility is scheduled to make the cuts in 10 major cities, making it the first state to officially schedule outages due to the crisis. Upon analysis of government data and resident interviews, it was found out that northern states, including Rajasthan, have been struggling with crippling power supply shortages of up to 14 hours in some regions, as opposed to the government’s assurance that there was enough power. 

This comes after China also shut factories due to widespread outages in the country. 

“Over half of India’s 135 coal-fired power plants, which in total supply around 70% of the country’s electricity, have fuel stocks of less than three days,” data from the federal grid operator showed.

The eastern states of Jharkhand and Bihar are among those affected the most by the coal shortage, as per data from federal grid regulator POSOCO.

Additionally, Andhra Pradesh claimed these supply shortfalls were forcing it to schedule power cuts, adding that crops would dry up in the lack of electricity to power irrigation pumps.

“More water is required in the last stage of harvesting and if it is denied, fields would dry up and farmers stand to lose,” Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.

He suggested that ONGC and Reliance could supply deep water well gas to revive stranded gas-fired plants in the state, and that financial institutions should lend to distribution companies to purchase coal.

“The rates in Day-Ahead and Real Time power markets are soaring day by day. It is quite an alarming situation and finances of distribution companies would deteriorate further if the situation persists,” he said in the letter.