Nearly half of India’s coal-fired power plants are facing critically low fuel stocks as electricity demand surges amid hotter-than-usual weather linked to El Niño, according to government data.
Of the country’s 191 coal-fired power plants, 96 had enough coal to generate electricity for fewer than three days as of October 19, up from 60 in mid-September, data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) showed.
Coal stocks at power stations have declined by around 5% since the beginning of October, despite the Coal Ministry’s reported efforts to increase supplies.
India’s peak electricity demand has been 45–50 gigawatts higher than a year earlier, partly due to weaker monsoon rains that reduced hydropower generation and increased dependence on thermal power.
The demand-supply gap widened to 560 million kilowatt-hours in September, the highest since August 2023. Coal-fired generation rose 13.3% year-on-year, while hydropower output fell 20%.
