India, April 11 -- India has deferred planned maintenance at several coal-fired power plants to make sure high electricity demand during the summer months is met, even as the West Asia war has squeezed access to liquefied natural gas. The imported fuel has become more expensive since flows from the region have been halted, curbing the use of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)-fired capacity which supports coal-generated power, Piyush Singh, additional secretary in the power ministry, said at a briefing in New Delhi on Friday. India's 20 gigawatts of gas-fired capacity typically run at low utilisation due to limited domestic supply and the high cost of imported Liquefied Natural Gas , which is undercut by cheaper coal. Around 8 gigawatts were brought online last summer to help meet peak load. About 15 gigawatts of coal capacity had been scheduled for temporary shutdowns during April-June, but the government has asked two-thirds of those plants to defer maintenance until July. That's when monsoon rains are expected to lift hydro power generation, Singh said. Gas-based capacity accounts for just 1.4% of India's overall power requirement, but shortages can add pressure to a grid already strained by booming demand, expected to reach a peak of 271 gigawatts this month....