(Bloomberg) -- India's power ministry will examine invoking an emergency rule to run gas-fired power plants during the summer, part of a series of measures to ensure uninterrupted supplies.
The government will consider consider imposing section 11 of the electricity law, which authorizes it to order power stations to operate, the power ministry said in a statement Tuesday.
India is headed for crucial elections that coincide with the summer months of April to June that witness scorching heatwaves in many parts, pushing up demand for electricity. Heat waves are expected for 10 to 20 days in different areas during the three-month period, against a normal of four to eight days, the weather department forecast Monday.
India previously invoked the emergency rule to ask plants running on imported coal to operate at full capacity. These directions, which had been in force until the end of June, will now be effective through Sept. 30, according to the statement.
India's electricity laws allow the government to force any power station to operate as directed in extraordinary circumstances, such as a natural disaster or a threat to national security or public order.
The ministry also asked coal plants that had planned a scheduled maintenance during the summer months to consider delaying the shutdowns until the monsoon period, when the electricity demand is expected to ease.
As much as 10.7 gigawatts of capacity is due for a planned shutdown during the quarter through June, according to the ministry.
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