Power Units Directed To Finish Scheduled Shutdowns By February
In order to prepare for the increased electricity demand that is anticipated during the summer months, the Union power ministry has suggested that the thermal power plants complete their scheduled maintenance shutdowns by February.
By doing this, it is certain that there will be sufficient capacity before the typical March to May demand spike.
Typically, the Central Electricity Authority publishes a list of these shutdown times every year, however, sources claim that this year's schedule has been altered.
The number of shutdowns may vary from the original plan due to changes in the maintenance schedule for the next few months; a final list will be prepared by the second week of December.
Thermal power plants were earlier urged by the electricity ministry in 2023 to avoid maintenance shutdowns from March to May because of the anticipated higher demand. However, despite favourable weather conditions, demand was lower compared to the previous year, from March to June.
Planned shutdowns in July saw a significant increase to 12,787 MW from 5784 MW in June and 1517 MW in May. In anticipation of a rise in thermal power demand in September, utilities were given similar directives.
From October onwards, planned shutdowns continued to increase, with an average planned outage of 10,189 MW in October and 8,928 MW up to 21 November. The duration of these shutdowns can vary from 15 days to 75 days, depending on the required work.
Electricity demand has been steadily increasing since August this year, with a 16.3 per cent YoY increase in August, a 10.3 per cent increase in September, and a 21 per cent rise in October to around 139 billion units.
Preparations for the upcoming summer months are underway, with the Central Electricity Authority projecting a peak demand of 244.56 GW for FY25, although the peak demand in FY24 reached 241 GW against the projected 230.1 GW.
