In a bid to ensure availability of fuel, India's largest power producer NTPC has placed an order to import 8.2 million tonnes of coal to meet the shortfall in total requirement of around 125 million tonnes this fiscal.
NTPC Chairman and Managing Director R S Sharma said, "We have already placed an order with a government agency for importing 8.2 million tonnes (MT) of coal. We expect this quantity to meet our demand."
On an average, the company is facing a shortfall of 10-12 MT of coal per year, he said, adding import of 8.2 MT would be sufficient due to its high quality and low ash content.
The company has been facing a shortfall from the domestic suppliers and had sought power ministry's intervention to resolve the crisis.
In a letter to the Power Ministry, R S Sharma had highlighted the problem of coal shortage, saying many of its plants are facing closure threats, which may lead to power crisis in the country.
NTPC has already lost Rs 94 crore in the current fiscal due to low generation at various plants, including Rihand, Vindhyachal, Farakka, Kahalgaon and Talher following short supply of coal.
The current installed capacity of NTPC is around 29,000 mega watt, which includes generation from both coal and gas based power stations.