Moneycontrol on March 22 was the first to report that the Union government is pushing power generation companies (gencos) to buy gas and scale up electricity generation from stranded or underutilised gas-based power units.
The eight-month long extension has been directed by the Ministry of Power owing to a surge in electricity demand, inadequate supply of domestic coal and reduced hydropower generation.
Due to the surge in power demand and subsequent load-shedding, the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission on August 15 also directed all power distribution companies to promptly requisition their power needs to the generating companies
The reverse trend, where domestic coal based power plants are using more imported coal than ICB plants, is due to a government policy aimed at ensuring continuous electricity generation to meet the rising demand.