India has ordered 112 captive coal-fired power plants to operate at maximum capacity from October 1 through December 31 to meet an expected rise in electricity demand, Reuters reported on Saturday. The federal power ministry issued the order under emergency provisions of the Electricity Act.

The directive applies to plants with at least 50 megawatts of capacity and covers facilities run by Vedanta, Tata Steel, Hindalco Industries, JSW Steel, UltraTech Cement, Reliance Industries, Indian Oil, Bharat Aluminium, Hindustan Zinc, and Nayara Energy. These plants mainly serve industrial users such as aluminium smelters, steel makers, cement factories, and oil refineries.

Nearly 40 percent of India's coal-fired plants are running with critically low fuel stocks, according to the report, as surging demand and hotter-than-usual temperatures linked to El Niño strain the grid. Generators must sell surplus power through power exchanges and file weekly reports on generation, coal stocks, and sales with the Central Electricity Authority.

Separately, the ministry extended an emergency order requiring Tata Power's imported coal-fired plant at Mundra in Gujarat to run at full capacity until December 31.