Coal stocks at many thermal power stations critically low

New Delhi, Oct 24, 2008 (Asia Pulse Data Source via COMTEX) --
Coal availability at a large number of thermal power stations has reached 'critical' level with as many as 35 having stocks for less than four days, a move that could lead to closure of some of the plants.


"The coal supply position to thermal power stations in the country is not comfortable. The all-India coal stock at power stations depleted from 11.04 million tonnes (MT) as on April, 2008 to 4.86 MT as on October 19," Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.


Among the 77 thermal power stations monitored by Central Electricity Authority (CEA), 55 were 'critical' having coal stock of less than seven days, while as many as 35 have stock for just four days.


The government has resorted to rigorous monitoring of coal supply to power stations for optimising fuel supply from various sources.


The Ministry of Coal is taking steps to enhance production of coal in the country, it is allocating new coal blocks to power utilities for captive mining to meet requirements of their respective power plants, he said.
Replying to a supplementary, Shinde said the government has set an ambitious target of adding over 90,000 MW of generation capacity during the 11th Five Year Plan.
The acute coal shortage, however, could be a stumbling block in achieving target.


The power utilities have been advised to import 20 MT of coal this fiscal to meet the shortfall in domestic availability of coal, they have imported only 5.4 MT during April to September 2008. The utilities are asked to expedite their imports.


State-run NTPC is also importing 8.2 MT of coal this financial year, the minister said.
Ministry of Power is impressing upon the Coal Ministry to increase their offer of coal supply to power utilities, so that generation can be maximised. NTPC, in July this year, had written a letter to the Power Ministry highlighting the problem of coal shortage being faced by the company.


"The situation is grim and unless fast-track measures are taken by the Ministry of Coal and coal companies, the affected power plants face serious threat of taking units out of bar, which may lead to power crisis in the country," NTPC CMD R S Sharma had said in the letter.


NTPC has lost nearly Rs 94 crore in the current fiscal due to lower generation at various plants including Rihand, Vindhyachal, Farakka, Kahalgaon and Talher, arising from short supply of coal, which is around 720 million units.


The company took up the matter of short supply at all levels of Ministry of Coal (MoC), Sub-Group for Infrastructure Constraints (under MoC), Coal India Limited (CIL) and its subsidiaries. But coal supplies did not improve.

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