As India heads into a “hotter-than-normal” summer, with forecasts pointing to an above-average number of heatwave days, the government plans to rely more on coal-based power to meet peak summer demand. On Monday, the government informed Parliament that the country’s power system remains “adequately positioned” to meet peak summer demand, despite gas supply constraints triggered by the ongoing conflict in West Asia. While gas-based power accounts for a relatively small share of the energy mix, it plays a crucial role during non-solar hours, with nearly 10 GW of capacity typically relied upon during high demand summer months. The government said its plans to use “alternative sources” like coal coal-based generation, renewables energy and energy storage system compensating for reduced gas-based generation. However, this shift may come with trade-offs that extend beyond immediate supply concerns, experts said. A greater reliance on coal could lead to curtailment of renewable energy, particularly solar, due to the operational inflexibility of coal plants. Gas-based power plants, meanwhile, are more flexible and can ramp generation up or down to accommodate renewable …