India's October coal-fired power output jumps most in 3 years as hydro generation slumps

NEW DELHI: India’s coal-fired generation surged at its fastest annual pace in three years in ​October amid a drop in hydropower generation driven by ‌the El Niño weather pattern and surging power demand from industrial activity, government data showed.

Coal-fired generation rose 25.7% in October from a ​year ago, with its share in overall generation rising ​to 71.7% from 66.03% in September, according to ⁠Reuters calculations of daily data from the regulator, Grid-India.

India’s hydropower ​generation declined 26% due to weaker rainfall, the steepest drop ​since February 2024, putting pressure on coal-fired generation.

At one point in October, 100 of India’s 191 coal-fired power plants were operating with critically ​low fuel stocks due to a surge in power ​demand.

The supply situation has eased after the Indian government boosted coal supplies ‌at ⁠a record pace to help the plants generate more electricity, Reuters had reported.

45 Indian coal power plants have critical low fuel, government data shows

In September, India’s power shortages rose to 560 million kilowatt-hours (kWh), the highest since August 2023. The shortages have eased ​somewhat due to ​higher coal ⁠power generation and cooler weather towards the end of October.

Meanwhile, India’s renewable power generation rose ​34.7% to 26.61 billion kWh in October, powered ​by ⁠a 62% surge in solar generation.

However, the share of clean energy in overall power generation dropped to about 15% in October ⁠from ​17% in September.

India’s overall electricity generation ​in October rose 21.1% from a year earlier to 172.53 billion kWh, the ​Grid-India data showed.