New Delhi, April 10 India will postpone maintenance shutdowns at thermal power plants and operationalize additional capacity to ensure around 10,000 MW of extra supply during peak summer demand, the Ministry of Power said on Friday, as it moves to strengthen short-term electricity availability amid global uncertainty.
Power plants are required to take shutdowns annually for maintenance and repair of machinery, but this will be delayed to make electricity available to meet peak demand, said Piyush Singh, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Power, at a media briefing.
This will help augment 10,000 megawatt (MW) of generation, which will more than compensate for the 8,000 MW of generating capacity lost due to disruptions in liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies caused by the war in West Asia, he said.
Also, imported coal-based plants are being fully operationalized, and adequate coal stocks are being maintained at thermal stations to address near-term supply pressures.
India's electricity system remains "robust, well-diversified, and adequately positioned" to meet demand, he said, adding that the country's installed capacity has crossed 531 gigawatts.
Non-fossil sources now account for more than 50 per cent of total capacity, supported by coal, hydro, nuclear, and renewables.
He said that 22,361 megawatt of electricity generation capacity will be added in the next three months. This includes 3,500 MW of thermal power capacity addition, 10,000 MW of solar, 2,400 MW of wind, 1,900 MW of battery storage, 3,461 MW of hybrid (solar and wind), 750 MW of hydro, and 250 MW of pumped storage projects, he said.
A strong transmission backbone of around 5 lakh circuit kilometres and over 120 GW of inter-regional transfer capability ensures reliable power flows across regions, the ministry added.
Over the longer term, India's installed capacity is projected to rise to about 874 GW by 2031-32, with non-fossil sources expected to exceed 67 per cent.
The government also plans to expand energy storage capacity to up to 300 GWh and transmission infrastructure to about 6.5 lakh circuit kilometres, with 167 GW of inter-regional transfer capability.
No new gas-based or imported coal-based power plants have been planned in recent years, with focus instead on aligning existing assets with domestic fuel sources.
Policy measures, including rolling 10-year resource adequacy planning by states, green energy corridors, interstate transmission charge waivers, and schemes such as PM-KUSUM, PM Surya Ghar, and the National Green Hydrogen Mission are supporting the transition, the ministry said.