Archive · 29 Sep 2026
India Orders Coal Plants To Boost Power Amid Shortages
India is using more coal to make up for a shortage of electricity.
Water-powered electricity has fallen because the monsoon has been unusually dry.
Solar power also decreases in the evening, just when many people need electricity.
This created nighttime shortages of up to 7.7 gigawatts.
Coal plants have been running harder, so their coal supplies have fallen sharply.
The government ordered some private plants to operate at full capacity and sell extra electricity.
It also extended an order for Tata Power’s large plant in Gujarat to keep operating fully.
Recent rain reduced electricity demand, but flooding has made it harder to move coal from some mines.
India has ordered captive power plants above 50 megawatts to run at full capacity and sell surplus electricity through exchanges.
Coal inventories at grid-connected power stations have more than halved from a year earlier, reaching their lowest level in almost three years.
Nighttime electricity shortages reached 7.7 gigawatts this month as hydroelectric output weakened and solar generation fell after sunset.
The government extended an order requiring Tata Power Co.’s 4-gigawatt Gujarat plant to operate at full capacity through December.
An unusually dry monsoon, higher cooling and irrigation demand, and flooding in coal-producing states have increased pressure on fuel supplies.
- Who
- India’s federal government, power generators, captive power plants, and Tata Power Co.
- What
- The government ordered captive plants larger than 50 megawatts to operate at full capacity and sell surplus electricity, while extending a similar directive for Tata Power’s Gujarat plant.
- When
- The directive for Tata Power’s plant was extended through December; the reported shortages occurred this month.
- Where
- India, including Tata Power’s Gujarat plant and coal-producing areas in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Jharkhand.
- Why
- Weak hydropower, reduced solar output after sunset, increased cooling and irrigation demand, and coal-transport disruptions created electricity supply pressure.
- Coal inventory change
- Inventories at grid-connected stations have more than halved from a year earlier.
- Inventory level
- Coal stocks reached their lowest level in almost three years.
- Nighttime shortfall
- Power shortages reached 7.7 gigawatts this month.
- Captive plant threshold
- The directive applies to captive generation plants above 50 megawatts.
- Tata Power plant
- The Gujarat facility has 4 gigawatts of capacity and was ordered to operate at full capacity through December.
- Electricity source
- Independent coal plants supply about 70% of India’s electricity.
- Monsoon deficit
- Rainfall was reported at 13% below normal after narrowing from a 15% deficit.