As part of emergency measures to avert power outages, India is seeking greater natural gas quantities and has requested utilities to speed up the completion of power plant maintenance.
The electricity ministry has given states advice to speed up the commissioning of all new power plants and run gas-fired units at maximum efficiency. All resources in the grid are being tapped in order to meet the high demand condition. It is important to note that coal-fired power is solely responsible for satisfying non-solar hours demand.
India’s demand for power has been rising quickly as the country’s robust economic growth has increased factory demand and the summer’s heat has increased residential usage. Meanwhile, weak monsoon rains have resulted in a decrease in hydropower production.
According to the Grid Controller of India, electricity consumption reached a record high of 223 gigawatts (GW) in June, up from a top of 212 GW in June 2022. El Nino is expected to reduce September precipitation following the driest August in more than a century, causing India to see the lowest monsoon rains in eight years. In the lack of rain, farmers require more electricity to power irrigation pumps.