At least 15 GW coal capacity was planned for maintenance, out of which 10 GW will not go for maintenance. (Reuters)
India has delayed planned maintenance shutdown of 10 gigawatt (GW) capacity of coal-based power plants by three months to ensure uninterrupted power supply amid gas supply constraints triggered by the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
A planned maintenance shutdown of a coal power plant is a scheduled, temporary cessation of operations to perform crucial repairs, inspections, and upgrades that cannot be done while the plant is running. At an inter-ministerial briefing on the West Asia crisis on Friday, Piyush Singh, additional secretary at Ministry of Power, said around 8 GW of gas-based power generation capacity is hit due to higher fuel costs under the impact of the Iran war.
At least 15 GW coal-based capacity was planned for maintenance during this period. Out of which 10 GW would not go for maintenance while the rest 5 GW will carry out the scheduled maintenance.
Singh also said that the government plans to add 22 GW capacity in the next three months to accelerate power generation. These included 3.5 GW of thermal power, 10 GW of solar, 2.5 GW of wind, 1.9 GW of Battery Energy Storage System, 3.4 GW of wind and solar hybrid, 750 MW of hydro and 250 MW of pump hydro storage. While gas accounts for only a small share in India’s overall generation mix, it plays a crucial rebalaning role during evening peak hours, when solar output drops. The government has said that it plans to use “alternative sources” like coal coal-based generation for reduced gas-based generation.
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