Two federal government officials said that several Indian states are exploring additional power allocations from the federal government to avoid outages as weak hydropower output and maintenance at some plants have reduced electricity supply during the night. 

The officials also stated that Rajasthan and Gujarat, among India’s leading states for renewable energy, have sought additional supplies, along with other states including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Union Territory Delhi. 

During a shortfall, the federal government typically has access to about 14 to 15 GW of electricity from coal and hydropower plants. 

However, the officials noted that diminished hydropower output due to a decline in rainfall linked to El Nino has constrained the electricity supplies available for distribution. They mentioned that the federal government has already allocated additional power to Punjab, which experienced power outages lasting up to 14 hours daily in certain regions during September.

The current power crunch underscores India’s struggle to fulfill electricity needs after dark, even with a swift growth in renewable energy sources, as inadequate battery storage hampers the transition of excess solar energy generated during the day to the evening and nighttime.

In September India’s power shortages surged to 560 million kilowatt hours, the highest since August 2023, even as coal-fired power plants increased output to meet strong demand.

The government data showed that the hydropower generation has fallen 20% from a year ago; meanwhile, the coal-fired generation rose to 13.3% in September from last year.

One of the officials said that the government is finding it difficult to meet the state’s request because much of its available power has already been allocated, meaning additional supplies would have to be withdrawn from other states.

Rupesh Sankhe, a research analyst at Elara Securities, stated that several coal power plants are undergoing maintenance, while there has been weaker hydropower and wind generation, leading to a power shortfall at a time of high industrial demand.

Approximately 41 GW of power generation capacity is currently inactive, as reported by Grid India. Furthermore, around 47% of coal facilities are facing alarming fuel shortages, representing less than 25% of the required coal reserves.

The states did not effectively strategize their power acquisitions for the year, as they were caught off guard by the prolonged summer, Sankhe noted, emphasizing that electricity procured from exchanges has become quite costly.

The power ministry is urging renewable-energy producers to hasten the adoption of battery storage systems, aiming to harness solar energy that would otherwise be wasted during daylight hours, according to officials.

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