India, Jan. 7 -- India's coal-fired power generation fell by nearly 3 per cent in 2025, marking only the second decline in a full calendar year in at least half a century, according to a new analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). The only previous full-year fall occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, when electricity demand collapsed nationwide.

Unlike 2020, however, the 2025 decline was not driven by an economic shock but by structural changes in the power system. CREA's India Power Sector Review 2025 report finds that the drop in coal and gas-based generation reflects record growth in clean electricity, milder weather that reduced cooling demand, and a longer-term slowdown in underlying power demand growth....