The government has asked imported coal-based power plants to run at full capacity till October-end as rising temperatures and humid conditions because of El Nino could push up demand.

The government has extended the emergency powers (under Section 11 of the
Electricity Act) invoked earlier this year and directed power plants that run on imported coal to maximise output and sell the surplus in exchange.

By extending the order till October 31, it has sent notices to 15 thermal plants that use imported coal and have the capacity to produce 17 gigawatts of electricity.

The 15 imported coal-based power plants include Tata Power’s and Adani Power’s plants in Mundra in Gujarat; Essar power plant in Salaya; JSW Ratnagiri; Tata Trombay; Udupi Power; Meenakshi Energy; and JSW Torangallu.

India’s peak power demand breached all previous records on August 17.

The country clocked an aggregate demand of 234,058 megawatt (MW) or 234 gigawatt (GW), surpassing the Central Electricity Authority’s (CEA) projection of 230 GW peak demand in 2023.

The demand is expected to remain elevated because of the El Nino effect.

The IMD had earlier this month said that the rains during the second half of the monsoon season is expected to be on the lower side of the “normal” category, ranging between 94 per cent and 99 per cent of the long-period average.

August and September usually account for 46 per cent.

The weak El Nino condition is likely to intensify further and become moderate during the next two months, affecting monsoon rainfall.