New Delhi, Nov. 29: 

Coal shortage is beginning to reflect in the spot electricity rates, which have risen steadily to an average of around Rs 5 per unit in the Southern region and close to Rs 4 per unit in the rest of the country.

Tuesday's peak electricity rates on the IEX — the country's largest power exchange — were recorded at Rs 9 in the South and close to Rs 6 in the other parts of the country, as coal supplies to the sector, manifested in terms of the fuel stocks at key coal-fired stations, are slipping again after a mild recovery in the middle of last month.