ERLDC flags Eastern Region under 7,584 MW generation outage; NTPC North Karanpura and Nabinagar among forced shutdowns
Eastern Regional Load Despatch Centre has flagged a major generation outage stack in the Eastern Region.
The outage tally on May 12, 2026 stood at 7,584.65 MW.
This included 3,775 MW from Central Sector forced outages.
State Sector forced outages accounted for 3,590 MW.
Planned maintenance accounted for another 219.65 MW.
The data shows a serious supply-side stress point at the start of summer demand build-up.
Major NTPC outages
NTPC’s North Karanpura unit of 660 MW was under forced outage.
The outage began on May 9.
The reason was boiler tube leakage.
Nabinagar NTPC Stage 2, also 660 MW, was under outage from May 11.
KBUNL’s 195 MW unit was also under forced outage from May 12.
Together, these units represent a large block of unavailable central-sector supply.
Eastern Region stress
The 7,584 MW outage level is significant for the Eastern Region.
It represents a large share of unavailable capacity during a period of rising demand.
The Eastern Region includes West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim, and the DVC command area.
On May 12, the region met an evening peak of 28,388 MW.
Bihar still recorded 1.3 MU of energy shortage.
State demand profile
West Bengal recorded the highest state-level peak in the region.
Its peak demand stood at 10,151 MW.
Odisha followed with 6,696 MW.
Bihar recorded 6,747 MW.
These demand levels make the outage stack especially relevant because the region has limited room for simultaneous forced shutdowns.
Boiler tube leakage issue
Boiler tube leakage remains one of the most common causes of forced outage in coal-based units.
It can take several days to repair depending on the severity.
For large 660 MW supercritical units, such outages have a direct impact on regional supply adequacy.
North Karanpura and Nabinagar are therefore key restoration priorities.
DVC outages
DVC also contributed to the regional supply gap.
MEJIA TPS Unit 7 of 500 MW was under outage.
RTPS Unit 2 of 600 MW was also unavailable.
This affects DVC’s ability to support the regional grid and supply industrial consumers in its command area.
Replacement power procurement may increase cost pressure.
Teesta hydro impact
The Teesta hydro cluster remains a major unresolved issue.
All six NHPC Teesta HPS units and three Teesta Stage III units continue to remain out.
The total unavailable capacity from this cluster is 1,940 MW.
These units have been out since the October 2023 Sikkim floods.
No firm return date has been announced.
Bihar impact
Bihar’s distribution utilities are among the most directly affected.
The state recorded a 1.3 MU energy shortage.
Industrial consumers in Patna, Muzaffarpur, and Bhagalpur may face reliability pressure during such periods.
Any shortage can push DISCOMs toward costly replacement procurement from real-time or day-ahead markets.
Restoration watchpoints
The immediate watchpoints are restoration of North Karanpura and Nabinagar units.
Boiler tube leakage repairs typically require 7 to 14 days.
ERLDC and NTPC will need close coordination with State Load Despatch Centres.
Replacement scheduling through real-time and day-ahead markets will remain important until the units return.
Strategic message
The Eastern Region’s 7,584 MW outage stack highlights the fragility of summer supply adequacy when multiple thermal and hydro units are unavailable together.
NTPC’s 660 MW units at North Karanpura and Nabinagar are central to the short-term recovery.
The long-pending Teesta hydro outage remains a structural regional deficit.
For ERLDC, tight scheduling, inter-regional support, and fast unit restoration will be essential through the summer period.
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