Rake scarcity hits coal supply to NTPC Kaniha

The problem of inadequate rakes coupled with the delay in unloading of coal has hit coal despatch to the 3000 MW power plant of NTPC at Kaniha, thereby impacting its power generation.

The power generation at NTPC Kaniha, the second largest power plant in the country, was affected due to coal shortage despite the availability of 1.2 lakh tonnes of crushed coal at the power plant’s linked Lingraj coal mines under Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL).

The coal stock at the Lingaraj mines could not be despatched to NTPC Kaniha through the merry go round system due to want of rakes and delay in unloading of coal at the power station, a top official of MCL told Business Standard.

It may be noted that 7-8 rakes of coal are moving to NTPC Kaniha from the mines located about 30 km from the power plant every day instead of the normal movement of 13 rakes.

Because of rake shortage, only 10,000-20,000 tonnes of coal could be transported to the power station from the coal mines instead of the normal supply of 35,000 tonnes.

MCL also supplies coal to the NTPC power plant from the other mines located at the Talcher coalfields and Ib valley coalfields.

Against its normal requirement of 60,000 tonnes of coal per day, NTPC Kaniha is getting 40,000 tonnes for the past several days, thereby forcing the authorities to scale down power generation by 600-700 MW.

Talking on coal supply to National Aluminium Company (Nalco), the MCL official stated 10,000-12,000 tonnes of coal are being despatched to Nalco’s captive power plant everyday.

To tide over its coal shortfall, Nalco has been advised to lift coal from the Balaram coal mines situated near its linked Bharatapur mines.

There has been 105 per cent supply of linked coal by MCL to Nalco in the first quarter of this fiscal, he claimed. He admitted that the demand for coal has always been more than the production during the monsoons, adding that MCL has a stockpile of 17 million tonnes of coal out of which 9.5 million tonnes are at the Talcher coalfields.

The official said that steps are being taken to liquidate the coal stock as soon as possible particularly from the Basundhara mines in Sundergarh district.

“The Basundhara mines have no rail link and the coal despatch is being done from the Kanika station, about 35 km from the mines. Three rakes of coal are being transported every day through the Kanika station and we want to increase it to five rakes per day”, he said.