A sharp drop in Indian wind generation has worsened electricity shortages and
increased pressure on coal-fired plants. Monsoon-linked declines in hydro output
had already tightened supply; weaker wind — plus falling coal output — widened
post-sunset shortfalls over the past week despite only moderate demand. India’s
power ministry said about 32 GW of thermal capacity was offline on Sept. 30,
roughly half due to unplanned outages, reflecting routine maintenance deferred
from summer. By comparison, on May 22 nighttime demand hit a record 253.3 GW
with a deficit of just 1.1 GW because roughly 23 GW of wind and 184 GW of coal
were available. S.R. Narasimhan, former head of India’s grid operator, noted
wind usually weakens from late September, coal plants have limited operating
headroom, and urged rapid expansion of energy storage capacity.
