Coal and lignite fired power generating units constitute about 65% of installed capacity and contribute to the tune of 80% of electricity generation in India. These capital-intensive power-generating units remain unavailable for about 15% of the time because of planned and forced outages....

With over 150GW of installed capacity and around 723.8 BUs of electricity generation during 2008-09, India remains the 5th largest consumer of electricity in the world. Coal fired power plants account for more than half of the installed capacity and caters to more than 65% of the power demand....