India orders 112 captive coal plants to run at full output
India has ordered 112 captive coal-fired power plants to run at maximum capacity from October 1 through December 31.
The power ministry issued the order on September 25 under emergency provisions of the Electricity Act. It applies to plants with at least 50 megawatts of capacity.
The plants belong to companies including Vedanta, Tata Steel, Hindalco Industries, JSW Steel, UltraTech Cement, Reliance Industries, Indian Oil, Bharat Aluminium, Hindustan Zinc and Nayara Energy.
The ministry said the move addresses an expected rise in electricity demand in the coming months. Nearly 40 percent of coal plants are running on critically low fuel stocks as El Nino pushes temperatures above normal.
The plants mainly supply industrial users such as aluminium smelters, steelmakers and cement factories. Generators must sell surplus electricity through power exchanges and report weekly to the Central Electricity Authority.
The ministry also extended an order requiring Tata Power’s Mundra plant to run at full capacity until December 31.
Why it matters: the emergency order shows how tight India’s power supply has become ahead of the winter demand season.
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