India has delayed the planned maintenance of 10 gigawatts of coal-based power plants by three months due to gas supply constraints from the West Asia conflict. Piyush Singh, additional secretary at the Ministry of Power, said 8 GW of gas-based capacity is affected by higher fuel costs from the Iran war. The government plans to add 22 GW of new capacity in the next three months.
India has postponed maintenance shutdowns for 10 gigawatts of coal-based power plants by three months to maintain uninterrupted supply amid gas shortages. The constraints stem from the ongoing West Asia conflict, particularly the Iran war, which has driven up fuel costs and impacted around 8 GW of gas-based generation capacity.
Piyush Singh, additional secretary at the Ministry of Power, stated this at an inter-ministerial briefing on the West Asia crisis on Friday. At least 15 GW of coal capacity was scheduled for maintenance during this period, with 10 GW deferred and the remaining 5 GW proceeding as planned. Gas, though a small part of India's generation mix, is crucial for rebalancing during evening peaks when solar output falls.
To compensate for reduced gas generation, the government will rely on alternative sources like coal-based power. It plans to add 22 GW of capacity over the next three months, including 3.5 GW thermal, 10 GW solar, 2.5 GW wind, 1.9 GW battery energy storage systems, 3.4 GW wind-solar hybrid, 750 MW hydro, and 250 MW pumped hydro storage.
