NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India has extended a mandate for imported coal-fired power plants to operate at full capacity until the end of April, a government order seen by Reuters on Friday showed, from an earlier deadline that was set for the end of February.
The extension of the mandate is due to high demand for electricity in the country, the order stated.
India’s power ministry said last week that it expects electricity demand to go up to 270 gigawatts (GW) from last year’s 250 GW, in the upcoming summer season, usually marked by searing high temperatures and heatwaves in many parts of the country.
The national weather office said earlier in the day that India will have above-average temperatures in March across most regions, following a warmer February.
India has about 17 GW of imported coal power plants operated by companies like Adani Power, Mundra Power and Essar Power.
(Reporting by Sarita Chaganti Singh, writing by Hritam Mukherjee; Editing by YP Rajesh and David Evans)
