India has extended the deadline for power plants using imported coal to operate at full capacity until the end of September, according to a government order seen by Reuters. The previous timeline has been extended by over three months to address the challenges of meeting power demand amid an ongoing heatwave. Power plants owned by companies like Adani Power and Tata Power, which rely on imported coal, were not operating at full capacity. Severe heat has been affecting various parts of India, with temperatures reaching as high as 42-44 degrees Celsius in Central, Northwest, East, and North India.

Initially, the government had directed these plants to operate at full capacity until June 15, in anticipation of a surge in power demand during the summer season. However, the Ministry of Power has now extended the timeline until September 30, as stated in the recent order. The order has been sent to JSW Ratnagiri Ltd., Essar Power Gujarat Ltd, and 13 other power plants with a combined capacity of 17 gigawatts.

The India Meteorological Department has predicted that isolated pockets of several states will continue to experience heatwave conditions over the next five days, including the national capital, New Delhi.