More than 30 GW of generation capacity out of commission as power demand soars

New Delhi: More than 30 gigawatts (GW) of India's power-generation capacity has been out of service over the past month even as scorching temperatures have caused the demand for power to soar. 

According to data from the Grid Controller of India, there has been a ‘generation outage’ of more than 30 GW on all but two days since May 18. There was a 44 GW outage on 23 May and a 39 GW outage on 20 June.

‘Generation outage’ is the industry jargon for when power-generation capacity is out of service. It includes planned outages, including those for maintenance work, and unplanned outages due to faults.

Shailendra Dubey, chairman of the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF), said, "The capacity under outage is significant given the high demand... Peak demand is generally seen in September, not in May and June as we have seen this year. Normally, the monsoon arrives (in north India) by this time, easing demand and allowing power plants to conduct scheduled maintenance. 

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"But this year the monsoon has been delayed, keeping demand elevated and causing several plants to defer maintenance, which will have led to faults and tripping.” 

Power demand has remained elevated – largely in the range of 230-240 GW – after hitting an all-time high of 250 GW on 30 May.

Here a trip, there a trip…

Several instances of tripping have been reported from across India in the past two months. On 17 June the Northern Region Load Despatch Centre (NRLDC) reported multiple tripping incidents across Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, leading to a load loss of 16.51 GW.

Meanwhile, capacitive reactionary units are yet to be installed in a few plants, choking the supply of new generation capacity, two people aware of the development told Mint.  These units, required for grid stability, were suggested by Central Electricity Authority (CEA).

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In response to a query by Mint, CEA said generation outage pertains only to units that have been commissioned but are not in operation for various reasons. "The grid stability is dependent [among other things] on adequate reactive power support from the generators. This is being ensured at the planning and operational stages," CEA said.

India has an installed power generation capacity of 442.85 GW, of which 210 GW is from coal. According to an ICRA report released on Thursday, power demand is likely to growth 6% in FY25. There has been nearly 11% year-on-year growth so far in April-June (Q1 FY25).

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"Favourable base in first quarter and healthy economic activity expected to lead to healthy demand growth in FY2025," it said, adding that the demand growth is likely to moderate in Q2 FY2025, given the expectations of above average monsoon.