Coal and lignite fired power generating units constitute about 65% of installed capacity and contribute to the tune of 80% of electricity generation in India. These capital-intensive power-generating units remain unavailable for about 15% of the time because of planned and forced outages. Reduction of outage levels can augment electricity generation in the country and reduce the widening demand supply gap. The article explores the outage trends of the units in the recent years and attempts to identify the determinants of outage.