Small Indian Factories Face Blackouts as Coal Stocks Plunge

Blackouts have started to hit households and smaller Indian factories and steel mills as coal inventories at many power plants plunge while electricity demand soars amid warmer weather and much lower hydropower output. Demand has been exceeding supply in recent weeks, leading to power cuts for households in some areas, as well as smaller factories and smelters, Bloomberg reported on Monday. The record El Niño has led to the weakest monsoon season in India in a decade and raised temperatures to above normal for this time of year. This…