India Extends Mandate for Full Capacity Operation of Imported Coal-Based Power Plants

02 Jan 2025

On Friday, the Indian government issued a circular extending the deadline for imported coal-fired power plants to operate at full capacity until February 28. In October, the government invoked emergency provisions to instruct companies such as Tata Power, Adani Power, and Vedanta to keep their imported coal-based plants operational until October 15, and the directive was later extended through to December 31.

India's imported coal-based power plants have a total annual capacity of around 16 GW. In September, coal-fired electricity generation in the country declined for the second month in a row, driven by slower growth in electricity demand and a significant increase in solar power generation.

As previously reported, the country's thermal coal imports declined by 31.8% in October, marking the steepest drop in fifteen months. Meanwhile, government data revealed that India's total coal-fired power generation increased by 5% during the April-September period compared to the previous year.