Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh is grappling with a power shortage of about 2,000 to 3,000 MW as disrupted coal supplies and outages at multiple generating units have reduced availability, forcing the UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) to buy expensive electricity and impose limited night-time cuts in rural areas.Officials said heavy rainfall and waterlogging in coal-mining regions have affected coal movement to thermal plants across the country.As a result, several units are operating at reduced capacity or have shut down. The utility said the state is currently facing an availability shortfall of around 1,500 to 2,000 MW compared with normal conditions.UP’s peak supply touched about 30,625 MW in Sept last year. Demand this season has remained at similar levels, but UPPCL said it is currently able to manage supply up to around 27,000 MW.The coal disruption has coincided with technical outages at several units.A Sept 14 report by the Uttar Pradesh State Load Dispatch Centre (UPSLDC) showed 5,340 MW of generation capacity under short- or long-term outage.Units cited as affected include Obra-C Units 1 and 2, Meja Unit-1, Anpara Unit-7, Rosa Unit-2, Ghatampur Unit-1, and units at Harduaganj and Jawaharpur. Ghatampur Unit-2, which went offline on Sept 13, returned to service early Monday.UPPCL chairman and additional chief secretary (energy) Ashish Kumar Goel reviewed the situation on Monday and directed officials to procure electricity from all available sources to maintain the prescribed supply roster.UPPCL said market availability on the Indian Energy Exchange has also tightened. Since Sept 1, power at the ceiling price of Rs 10 per unit has been available for an average of around 16 hours daily. The utility said procurement becomes especially difficult at night, when it is unable to arrange an additional 2,000 to 3,000 MW, leading to limited rural cuts. During the day, it said it is purchasing electricity at up to Rs 10 per unit to maintain uninterrupted supply wherever possible.The corporation linked the crunch to higher national demand and lower generation.Peak demand in India has risen from about 240 GW in Sept 2025 to nearly 269 GW this month, while around 35 GW of generation has been impacted by coal constraints, with wind and hydropower output also lower.UPPCL said relief is expected within two to three days as Anpara-D, Harduaganj and Jawaharpur units return from repairs, potentially adding about 1,500 MW. It added that improved coal arrangements at Anpara, Lanco and Bara have already increased availability by around 700 MW.UP Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad chairman Avdhesh Kumar Verma called the situation “more mismanagement than coal shortage,” arguing that monsoon-related disruptions were predictable and adequate stock should have been secured in advance.UPPCL said it has approached Union coal ministry for supplies and is coordinating with generating companies and agencies to minimise cuts.
