India’s coal-based power plants were kept busy in midsummer to satiate surging power demand amidst record-high temperatures.
Power generation from the coal plants increased 9% y-o-y to 105.6 billion units (BU) in April, 2022 against 97.1 BU in April, 2021. The output was 2% higher on the month from 103.06 BU in March, 2022.
Driven by the intense heatwave, the country has been on a record-breaking streak in terms of power consumption.
Highest demand met was recorded at 201 gigawatts (GW) on 26 April, surpassing the previous year’s peak of 200.53 GW on 7 July, 2021. The maximum demand again rose to 204.65 GW on 28 April and peaked to a new high of 207.11 GW on 29 April, as per Union Power Ministry data.
This compelled the coal plants to scale up generation volumes by operating at higher capacities.
Notably, the plant load factor (PLF) of these facilities was recorded at 72.58% during April compared to the lows seen during pandemic times when the PLF had dropped to 41.66% in April, 2020.
Support from alternative sources
The coal-based plants received timely support from the alternative power sources, which also recorded gradual increase in generation volumes.
Contribution from renewables was recorded at 13.54 BU during April, up 16% y-o-y from 11.65 BU in April, 2021. Similar trends were also seen for hydro (capacity above 25 MW) and nuclear plants. In fact, the decline on y-o-y basis came solely from gas- and diesel-based power generation.
Source-wise Power Generation
Source: Power Ministry, CoalMint Research | Quantity in BU
Nevertheless, supply constraints resulting from a series of factors including seasonal variations, lack of power purchase agreements and wide fluctuation in generation schedule pose challenges with regard to the operations of renewable sources.
As a result, there was an additional burden on coal plants to keep pace with the rise in power demand which, in turn, had significantly impacted inventory levels.
As per Central Electricity Authority (CEA) data, power plants’ coal stocks were assessed at 21.95 mnt at the end of April as against 25 mnt seen over the past three months.
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