Web Exclusive | January 2018
Water scarcity may become a sore point for power sector: WRI
The thermal power plants of india, about 90 per cent of which rely on fresh water for cooling, are at the risk of facing acute outages because of water shortage, according to a new report by World Resources Institute (WRI). Out of the country’s 20 largest thermal utility companies, 14 experienced one or more shutdowns due to water shortages, between 2013 amd 2016. This costs the power producers over Rs 9,100 crore ($1.4 billion) in potential revenue from the sale of power, WRI said. Water shortages cease the operations of the power plants across India every year, says O.P. Agarwal, CEO of WRI India. Electricity generation is at risk shrinking room for water supply in cities, farms and familie, when water shortages rely on water sourced from scarce regions. Water may become a choke point for India’s power sector in the wake of no immediate action, he added.