NEW DELHI, April 13 (Xinhua) -- India's federal government has decided to use gas-based power plants in efforts to meet the high electricity demand in this summer forecast to be hotter than normal, officials said Saturday.

"To ensure maximum power generation from gas-based generating stations, the government has issued directions to all gas-based generating stations," India's power ministry said in a statement.

Electricity demand is expected to rise in the hot summer months in the South Asian country as extreme heat has been forecast from April to June.

"India's electricity demand has been rising rapidly, driven by economic growth, particularly during hot-weather and high-demand periods. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted above-normal maximum temperatures over most parts of the country during the 2024 hot weather season," the ministry said.

The new government move is in addition to a series of measures to meet the summer power demand, including rescheduling the maintenance of power plants to the monsoon season, accelerating capacity upgrade, reducing partial outages of thermal power plants, and ensuring coal availability.

The power ministry said presently 85 percent of the power demand during non-solar hours is being met through coal and lignite generation in the country. Enditem

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