NEW DELHI:
Several states, including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, have sought additional power from the Centre amid tightening electricity supplies during night hours.
Officials said reduced hydropower generation, maintenance at some coal-fired plants and inadequate battery storage had contributed to the shortage.
India recorded a power shortage of around 560 million kWh in September, the highest monthly shortfall since August 2023. Around 41 GW of generation capacity is currently offline, while several coal-fired plants are operating with critically low fuel stocks.
The Centre has been reallocating available power to states facing shortages and has urged renewable energy producers to speed up battery-storage integration to bridge the gap between daytime solar generation and night-time demand.