Govt to ensure coal for Rs 23k cr power projects in Rajasthan

The Centre would ensure sufficient coal supply to three supercritical power projects worth Rs 23,760 crore coming up in Rajasthan.

"We are ensuring that there is no coal shortage to Rajasthan government for its proposed3960 MW three power projects," Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal told reporters here today after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot called on him with the state's demand for fuel linkages and new coal blocks.

"Rajasthan CM has demanded coal linkages and new coal blocks including in Chattisgarh to meet the shortage of coal, the state is facing and we will fulfil the requirement," Jaiswal said.

The state government is importing high quality coal for its existing power stations, he added.

Gehlot said the state is "in urgent need of coal blocks and linkages" for its three super critical power projects.
  
Two projects with a combined capacity of 2640 MW will come up at Suratgarh and Chhabra under the public sector. The third one is proposed at tribal-dominated Banswara under the private sector.

The Rajasthan government has demanded long-term linkage of 6.4 million tonnes of coal per annum for the Banswara project. It has submitted application for Chhattabar coal block of Mahanadi Coalfields having coal reserves of 250 million tonnes.

Gehlot said the state at present faces a shortage of 6 lakh tonnes of coal per annum for its existing power stations.

"The state is getting 126 lakh tonnes of coal from the centre per annum while faces shortage of six lakh tonnes of coal. It imports roughly eight tonnes of coal every year," he said.

The present coal linkages allocated by the Central Electricity Authority for existing units of Kota and Suratgarh thermal power stations is 126 lakh tonnes for the current fiscal, which is not sufficient, the state government said.