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| 26 thermal power plants facing critical coal stock |
| BS Reporter / Kolkata/ Bhubaneswar May 24, 2010, 00:59 IST |
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The coal stock position at the thermal power plants (TPPs) across the country seems to be worsening as 26 out of the 81 TPPs are facing critical condition with coal stock of less than seven days.
Moreover, 11 out of the 26 TPPs are battling super critical state with coal stock of less than four days (as on May 20, 2010), as per a report prepared by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).
The factors contributing to the critical coal stock at these power plants are higher generation without a commensurate increase in coal imports as well as erratic and lesser coal supplies from the subsidiaries of Coal India Limited (CIL).
CIL, the world’s single largest coal producer supplies coal to 78 out of these 81 TPPs. A top CIL official said, “Presently, we are meeting around 90 per cent of the normative requirement of the power plants.
However, it is also important for the power plants to step up coal imports to cope up with higher generation as CIL is unable to scale up its production significantly mainly due to delay in environmental clearances.”
The problem of critical coal stock is more pronounced in the TPPs of the eastern region with nine out of 32 plants grappling with critical stock. In West Bengal, five plants are reeling under critical coal stock- Bakreswar TPS, Kolaghat TPS, Sagardighi TPS, New Cossipore TPS and Mejia TPS.
In Orissa, the 3000 MW NTPC Kaniha, the second largest power plant in the country is also facing critical coal stock with stock of barely five days. Ironically, this plant is located close to the Talcher coalfields.
NTPC had earlier announced that it would import 12 million tonnes of coal in the current financial year to tide over the coal crisis.
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