Why India is facing a night-time power crunch despite rising coal generation

Several states have sought extra electricity from the Centre as night-time supply tightens. The squeeze has exposed the limits of weak hydro, coal outages and thin storage after sunset.Power shortage highest since Aug 2023 despite rise in coal generation. New Delhi,Oct 6, 2026 08:55 ISTSeveral states are seeking additional electricity allocations from the Centre to avoid power outages, particularly at night, as weak hydropower generation and maintenance at some plants tighten supply despite a rise in coal-fired generation, reported news agency Reuters. Rajasthan and Gujarat, among the leading renewable-energy states, have sought additional supplies along with Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi, according to two federal government officials cited in the report.The Centre typically has access to around 14-15 GW of electricity from coal and hydropower plants that can be allocated to states during a shortfall. But weaker hydropower generation has reduced the electricity available for redistribution.The Centre has already provided additional power to Punjab after some areas of the state faced outages of up to 14 hours a day in September, the officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media. The Ministry of Power did not respond to a request for comment.WHY POWER SUPPLY IS TIGHTENINGThe latest squeeze highlights the difficulty of meeting electricity demand after sunset despite India's rapid expansion of renewable-energy capacity. Solar power can meet a large part of daytime demand, but insufficient battery storage limits the ability to shift surplus solar generation into evening and night-time hours.Weaker hydropower generation has added to the pressure. According to the report, hydropower output fell 20% from a year earlier in September following an El Nio-related decline in rainfall.Wind generation has also been weaker, while several coal-fired power plants are undergoing maintenance.Rupesh Sankhe, a research analyst at Elara Securities, told Reuters that the combination of weaker hydropower and wind generation, maintenance at coal plants and strong industrial demand had contributed to the shortfall.POWER SHORTAGE HITS HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE AUGUST 2023India's power shortage surged to 560 million kilowatt-hours in September, the highest level since August 2023.This happened even as coal-fired generation increased sharply to meet strong electricity demand.Coal-fired power generation rose 13.3% in September from a year earlier, according to government data.However, the increase in coal generation has not been enough to fully offset the decline in hydropower and the loss of generation capacity due to maintenance.Nearly 41 GW of power plants were offline, according to Grid India data.At the same time, about 47% of coal-fired power plants had critical fuel stocks, equivalent to less than a quarter of their mandated coal supplies.CENTRE FACES LIMITS ON EXTRA POWERThe Centre is also finding it difficult to meet requests from states because much of the electricity available for redistribution has already been allocated.One of the officials said that providing additional supplies to states could therefore require electricity to be withdrawn from other states.The Centre normally has around 14-15 GW of power that can be allocated during a shortfall, but weaker hydropower generation has reduced the flexibility available to manage the current squeeze.The problem has already been visible in Punjab, where the Centre supplied additional electricity after some areas experienced outages lasting up to 14 hours a day in September.STATES DID NOT EXPECT SUMMER TO LAST THIS LONGSankhe said states had also failed to adequately plan their electricity purchases for the year because they did not anticipate the summer extending for as long as it has.That has left them more dependent on purchases from power exchanges at a time when electricity prices have become expensive.The combination of high industrial demand, extended hot weather, lower hydro and wind generation and maintenance at coal plants has therefore tightened the balance between electricity supply and demand.BATTERY STORAGE BECOMES CRITICALThe power squeeze also highlights a growing challenge for India's renewable-energy expansion.The country has rapidly added solar capacity, but without sufficient storage, electricity generated during the day cannot easily be used to meet demand after sunset.The Power Ministry has been pushing renewable-energy producers to accelerate the integration of battery storage systems, according to the officials.Battery storage would allow surplus solar electricity generated during the day to be stored and used during evening and night-time demand, reducing pressure on coal and hydropower plants.For now, however, weaker hydropower and wind generation, maintenance-related outages, critical coal stocks at several plants and strong demand have left multiple states seeking additional supplies from the Centre.- Ends