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India Power Shortages Reach 3-Year High as States Seek Extra Supply
M
Moneycontrol•06-10-2026, 07:53
India Power Shortages Reach 3-Year High as States Seek Extra Supply
- •Eight Indian states and Delhi are seeking additional power allocations from the federal government to prevent outages during the night.
- •Weaker hydropower output due to El Nino rainfall declines and maintenance at several coal plants have significantly reduced electricity supply.
- •India's power shortages surged to 560 million kilowatt-hours in September, marking the highest level since August 2023.
- •The power squeeze highlights difficulties in meeting electricity demand after sunset despite rapid expansion in renewable capacity due to a lack of sufficient battery storage.
- •Nearly 41 gigawatts of power plants are currently offline, and about 47 percent of coal plants are experiencing critical fuel levels.
Key Questions Answered
Several Indian states and Delhi are seeking additional power allocations to avoid outages caused by weak hydropower output and maintenance at some power plants, which have reduced electricity supply during the night.
India's power shortages surged to 560 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) in September, reaching the highest level since August 2023.
Power shortfalls were caused by a combination of weaker hydropower and wind generation, maintenance at several coal power plants, and critical fuel levels at nearly 47% of coal plants.
