Now Reading: Gujarat asks factories to curb power use as demand surges
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Gujarat asks factories to curb power use as demand surges
The Story in Brief
Gujarat has asked factories to voluntarily shift production away from evening peak hours (5 p.m. to 11 p.m.) to avoid shortages as surging demand and critically low coal stocks strain supply. The state utility Uttar Gujarat Vij Company Ltd sent text messages to industries and citizens to conserve power, according to a report by The Hindu Business Line on 21 October 2026.
Half of India's 191 coal-fired power plants are operating with critically low coal inventories, the Central Electricity Authority data shows. Business Standard reported on 25 October 2026 that stocks at 98 power plants are sufficient for just 6.3 days of operations, well below the normative requirement of 19 to 20 days. Hotter weather, higher irrigation needs and increased industrial activity are driving the demand surge.
Several states including Gujarat, Punjab and Tamil Nadu are seeking short-term coal power through tenders. The gap between electricity demand and supply widened to 560 million kilowatt-hours in September 2026, the highest since August 2023. Gujarat said it has sought additional coal and power from the federal government and is planning to build new coal, nuclear and battery storage projects.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The coverage is uniform straight reporting: both outlets lead with the same data on critically low coal stocks and the same cause for the supply crunch. The Hindu Business Line includes the Gujarat utility's conservation appeal and the state's long-term project plans, Business Standard updates the plant-level stock figure to 98 plants with 6.3 days of cover. Neither outlet assigns blame or adopts a critical stance toward the government. The balanced reading is that the situation is worsening week by week, as Business Standard's later-dated report shows. The next concrete watch item is whether the government's ramped-up coal supplies will reverse the inventory decline before winter peak demand.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): thehindubusinessline.com (neutral report), business-standard.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
