Thermal power plants across the country continue to grapple with critical coal stock mainly due to constraints in coal supplies and the inability of few power plants to scale up coal imports in sync with their rising power generation.
As many as 21 thermal power stations in the country are reeling under critical condition with coal stock of less than seven days. Nine of these 21 power stations are grappling with super critical coal stock with stock of the dry fuel of less than four days (as on October 7), according to a report of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).
The problem is possibly the worse in Uttar Pradesh where four power stations are facing critical coal stock and three of them being in a super critical condition. While two of these power stations- the 1630 Mw Anpara thermal power station and the 2000 Mw Rihand super thermal power station are bogged down by less receipt of coal from Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL).
The 1372 Mw Obra power station has been unable to import coal t meet its requirement. On the other hand, the 2000 Mw Singrauli super thermal power station has also been unable to import coal to meet its rising generation.
When contacted, a top CIL official said, “Presently, we are meeting 90 per cent of the normative coal requirement of the power plants. But, in order to meet their rising generation, the power plants have to import coal substantially. Besides, there is a shortfall of railway rakes for carrying coal.”
In the eastern region, there are five plants facing critical coal stock- 2340 Mw Kahalagaon thermal power station in Bihar, the 3000 Mw NTPC Kaniha at Talcher Thermal (Orissa) as well as 1260 Mw Kolaghat, 750 Mw Budge Budge and 1600 Farakka power station of NTPC in Wes Bengal.
The Kahalagaon thermal power station has no coal stock (as on October 7) while the 3000 Mw NTPC Kaniha had 302,000 tonnes of coal to last barely for five days.
