Nearly 40% of India’s coal-fired power plants were operating with critically low fuel stocks as of September 19, according to government data updated daily by the Central Electricity Authority. The number of plants with critically low coal stocks rose to 74 from about 60 the previous week.

The data define critically low stocks as less than 25% of the required inventory or enough coal to generate power for less than three days. The decline in plant stocks comes as India’s peak power demand, a measure of maximum electricity requirement, has hovered between 230 gigawatts and 250 gigawatts in the past week. Peak demand hit an all-time high of 270.70 gigawatts in May.

The government data, reported on Monday, September 21, 2026, link the fuel shortage to a surge in power demand amid hotter-than-usual weather associated with El Niño.