India steps up coal use

Power surge: A man collects coal from the roadside at Singrauli in India’s Madhya Pradesh state. The government has repeatedly defended the use of coal, citing lower per capita emissions compared with richer nations. — AFP

SINGAPORE: India has stepped up the use of coal to generate electricity in a bid to stop outages caused by lower hydroelectricity output, and as an increase in renewables is struggling to keep pace with record power demand.

It is unusual for India’s electricity use to spike in August, when temperatures are lower due to the annual monsoon that runs between June and September.