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TFP Bureau, New Delhi, May 11, 2024: As summer temperatures rise, the Government of India has taken proactive steps to ensure that the country’s electricity demand is met during the months of April, May, and June 2024.
In anticipation of increased power consumption, the government implemented several measures:
- Section 11 Directions for Imported-Coal-Based Power Plants: Ensuring full capacity availability for generation.
- Shift of Planned Maintenance of Power Plants: Maintenance schedules shifted to the monsoon season.
- Minimization of Partial and Forced Outages: Efforts to reduce outages of thermal generating units.
- Revival of Thermal Plants: Bringing back thermal plants under long outage to operational status.
- Advisory to Generation Companies: Encouraging maintenance of generating plants for maximum capacity.
- Optimization of Hydro Power Generation: Maximizing hydroelectric power generation.
- Surplus Power Offered for Sale: Directing generating stations to offer surplus power for sale in Energy Exchange.
Thanks to these measures, the government successfully met the peak evening power demand of 224 GW in April 2024.
Looking ahead to May and June, when demand is expected to peak even higher, additional steps have been taken:
Section 11 Directions for Gas-Based Power Plants: Providing an additional 6 GW capacity for May and June.
Increased Hydro Power Generation: Adding an extra 4 GW capacity for the summer months.
Reduced Thermal Power Plant Outages: Another 5 GW made available for summer by minimizing outages.
Wind Power Generation Increase: Wind power generation expected to rise by 4-5 GW compared to April.
With these measures in place, coupled with anticipated above-normal monsoon conditions as predicted by the IMD, authorities are confident that the country’s power demand will be adequately met both day and night during the summer months of May and June 2024.
