Indian states seek extra power to avoid outages as nighttime supply tightens, officials say

Several Indian states are requesting extra power allocations from the federal government to prevent outages due to reduced nighttime electricity supply, officials revealed. Rajasthan and Gujarat, prominent renewable-energy regions, have joined Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Delhi in seeking additional support.

Typically, the federal government controls about 14-15 gigawatts of power from coal and hydropower plants to distribute during shortages. However, weaker hydropower output resulting from an El Niño-related drop in rainfall has strangled available supplies for redistribution. The federal government has already provided extra power to Punjab, which experienced power outages of up to 14 hours per day in certain areas in September.

The officials, speaking anonymously due to lack of authorization, noted that India struggles to meet evening and night electricity demand despite the rapid growth of renewable capacity, primarily due to insufficient battery storage. Coal-fired generation rose 13.3% in September compared to the previous year, while hydropower fell 20%.

The government's limited ability to meet state requests is exacerbated by most of its available power already allocated, necessitating the withdrawal of additional supplies from other states. Many coal power plants are undergoing maintenance, and weaker hydropower and wind generation have contributed to a power shortfall coinciding with high industrial demand.

Nearly 41 gigawatts of power plants are offline, and about 47% of coal plants have critical fuel levels. The power ministry has urged renewable-energy producers to accelerate the integration of battery storage systems to utilize daytime solar electricity.