Saturday, December 13, 2025 | 12:50 PM ISTहिंदी में पढें
Business Standard
Notification Icon
userprofile IconSearch

Lockdown impact: Dip in electricity demand hits coal-fired power generation

During 2019-20, the average Plant Load Factor (PLF) tumbled to 55.5 per cent owing to a decline in power demand and increasing traction from renewable power sources

power, electricity, plant, renewables, thermal
premium

Further, April 2020 also saw global private equity leader KKR enter the Indian renewable infrastructure sector, acquiring 317 MW of solar from Shapoorji Pallonji Solar Holdings

Jayajit Dash Bhubaneswar
Coal-fired generation has borne the brunt of the erosion of electricity demand induced by Covid-19 pandemic. In the first 33 days of this fiscal (till May 3), coal-based generation slumped 33,000 Gw hours, indicating that coal-fired generation suffered 100 per cent of the power demand loss, compared to its 71 per cent share in total generation, said a report by US-based think tank- Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

A decade ago, coal-fired power plants operated at an average of 70-80 per cent of their rated capacities. However, during 2019-20, the average Plant Load Factor (PLF) tumbled to