Govt orders all imported coal plants to operate amid high power demand
The Centre has stepped in to tackle the power crisis by invoking Section 11 of the Electricity Act mandating all imported coal-based projects to generate power at full capacity, sources said.
Section 11 of the Electricity Act provides that the government, in extraordinary circumstances, may ask a generating company to operate and maintain any station in accordance with its directions. The order, issued late on Thursday, comes amid projections of high peak demand of 220 GW in the ensuing summer months.
The directive will bring on stream at least 7 GW power plants of Essar Power, Coastal Energen in states such as Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and it will also apply to the plants under the National Company Law Tribunal.