Power Ministry ordered 112 captive coal plants to run at max capacity from Oct 1
India’s Ministry of Power issued an order (dated 2026-09-25) directing more than 100 captive coal-fired power plants—covering 112 plants of at least 50 MW each—to operate at maximum capacity from October 1 through December 31, 2026, citing expected higher electricity demand. The order also directed generators to sell surplus electricity through power exchanges and to report weekly to the Central Electricity Authority on generation, captive use, sales, available capacity, and coal stocks; it separately extended a prior emergency order for Tata Power’s imported-coal plant in Mundra, Gujarat, to run at full capacity until December 31.
This temporarily increases available generation and channels surplus captive power to the grid via exchanges during a period of tight fuel stocks and elevated demand risk.