Sunday, 27 September 2026

Coal inventories at 190 thermal power plants in India fell to 22.9 million tonnes as of September 19, equal to about seven days of generation and 39% of normative stock, according to Central Electricity Authority data cited by Event Registry.

Event Registry reported that 74 Indian thermal power plants were in the critical category, up from 51 in August.

Coal India held around 76 million tonnes at pitheads in early September, Event Registry reported.

India's Ministry of Coal increased power-sector rake loading from 370 rakes to 444 rakes within a week in early September, according to Event Registry.

The Houston IV battery facility in Houston, Texas, began operations on September 9, 2026, according to Event Registry. The project has 320 MWh of energy storage capacity and 160 MW of power capacity.

B2U Storage Solutions started commercial operations at its Bexar Martinez battery energy storage project in Texas, Event Registry reported. The facility will provide 28 MWh of grid services to ERCOT.

Construction has begun on the Ruitan demonstration project in Shandong province in eastern China, according to Event Registry.

The facility is expected to begin operating next year and become the first of its kind in operation, Event Registry reported.

Its first phase will include a 50 MW supercritical unit and a 100 MW molten-salt energy storage system, according to Event Registry.

The plant will store excess energy as molten salt, then generate electricity during peak demand through a supercritical carbon dioxide system, Event Registry reported.

Greenvolt Power has started construction of the 600 MW/2.4 GWh Siedlce battery energy storage system in Poland, according to Event Registry.

Commercial operation is scheduled to begin by the end of 2027, Event Registry reported.

The project design includes 210 battery containers and 105 transformer containers equipped with power conversion systems, according to Event Registry.

BYD Energy Storage will supply the project's battery technology, Event Registry reported.

India is considering blending imported coal with domestic supplies to keep critical thermal power plants operating, Event Registry reported.

On Sept. 24, 80 of India's 190 thermal power plants were classified as critical, according to Event Registry. Available coal stocks stood at 22.3 million tonnes, or 38% of the recommended 57.8 million tonnes.

In Telangana, a BRS delegation demanded immediate supplies of quality coal to all Genco stations, Event Registry reported. The chief engineer of Kakatiya Thermal Power Station said the plant had enough coal for four days.

Event Registry reported that the U.S. Department of Energy committed $2 billion to smart technology improvements for the national electric grid.

The report said the spending will cover 31 projects in 26 states and is expected to produce more than 23 GW of electricity annually, enough for about 16 million homes.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the investment would affect around 100 million Americans.