拉杰什·库马尔·辛格和维格内什·拉达克里希南：印度9月电力缺口升至近十年来最高水平，季风降雨偏弱导致水电水库蓄水减少，炎热天气令全国电网承压。
By Rajesh Kumar Singh and Vignesh Radhakrishnan India’s electricity deficit surged to the highest for September in nearly a decade, as weak monsoon rains depleted hydropower reservoirs and hot weather stretched the country’s grid.
据彭博对印度电网控制中心数据的分析，每天晚间用电高峰时段的电力缺口在半个月以上的时间里超过2吉瓦，并偶尔突破6吉瓦。当月电力缺口总量为2017年以来最严重。
Daily peak shortfalls during evening hours exceeded 2 gigawatts for more than half the month and occasionally went past 6 gigawatts, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of data from the Grid Controller of India. The combined energy shortage was the worst for the month since 2017.
由于降雨低于正常水平，印度大片地区持续酷热，空调用电需求增加；与此同时，水电发电乏力，燃煤电厂还面临物流瓶颈。
The shortfall comes as below-normal rains left large swaths of the country sweltering, boosting demand for air conditioning as hydropower generation faltered and coal plants faced logistical bottlenecks.
每年6月至9月的雨季通常会缓解工业活动和用电压力，为发电企业减负，并让公用事业公司得以补充煤炭库存。
Industrial activity and electricity consumption typically ease during the rainy season, which runs from June through September, providing relief for power producers and allowing utilities to replenish coal stockpiles.
但今年强劲的厄尔尼诺现象使这一时期的降水量减少约13%，季风为2015年以来最弱，并令电力需求自3月以来一直保持高位。9月水电发电量同比下降近16%，月度发电量连续第五个月下滑。
But this year’s strong El Niño helped to curb precipitation by about 13% in that period, marking the weakest monsoon since 2015 and keeping power demand elevated since March. Hydropower generation for September declined nearly 16% from a year earlier, the fifth consecutive fall in monthly output.
全国降雨分布不均，东部一些煤炭产区遭遇洪水，限制了煤炭生产和运输。这导致发电站的煤炭库存持续下降，降至近三年来的最低水平。
Uneven distribution of rain across the country meant that some coal-mining regions in the east were flooded, restricting output and transport of the fuel. That contributed to a steady slide in coal inventories at power stations to the lowest level in nearly three years.
彭博汇编的印度电力部数据显示，各电站的日均煤炭库存较一年前减少一半以上，并自7月12日起持续下降。在该部门调查的191座发电厂中，约40%的电厂库存不足所需库存的四分之一。平均而言，各电厂仅剩约一周的库存。
Daily reserves have more than halved from a year ago and have declined continuously since July 12, power ministry data compiled by Bloomberg show. About 40% of 191 power plants surveyed by the ministry had less than a quarter of required stockpiles. On average, facilities have been left with just a week’s worth of reserves.
“电力系统正承受压力，”塔塔电力公司首席执行官普拉维尔·辛哈在谈及燃煤电厂供电时说。尽管局势可能到10月初有所改善，但“我们目前已处于临界状态”。预计电力供应紧张将使全国最大的煤炭开采企业印度煤炭公司受益。这家总部位于加尔各答的公司已经出现现货销售溢价上升，而销售溢价是推动公司盈利能力的关键因素。根据该公司在其网站上公布的数据，客户在8月支付的平均价格较基准价格高出59%，创下自4月开始的财年以来的最高水平。
“There is stress in the system,” Praveer Sinha, chief executive officer of Tata Power Co., said while discussing power supply from coal plants. While the situation could improve by early October, “right now, we are on the edge.”The supply crunch is set to benefit Coal India Ltd., the nation’s largest miner of the fuel. The Kolkata-based company has already seen an uptick in spot sales premiums, a key driver of profitability for the firm. Customers paid an average premium of 59% over the base price in August, the most during the fiscal year that began in April, according to data published by the company on its website.
持续供应中断以及海运价格上涨的推动，可能进一步推高拍卖销售溢价。
The ongoing disruptions, aided by stronger seaborne prices, could further boost auction sales premiums.
过去十年，印度新增了近250吉瓦发电装机，且大部分为太阳能发电。这有助于保障白天的电力供应，但太阳落山后，如果需求激增，夜间供电就会出现不足，需要水电和化石燃料发电设施弥补缺口。
India has added nearly 250 gigawatts of mostly solar generation capacity over the past decade. While that’s helped secure power during the day, nighttime supply falls short if demand spikes when the sun sets — requiring hydro and fossil fuel facilities to pick up the slack.
9月每日最大电力缺口达到7.7吉瓦，超过今年早些时候高温季出现的电力缺口。
The maximum daily power shortfall for September reached 7.7 gigawatts, surpassing the deficit seen during the hot season earlier in the year.