Minister says 'one day' coal stock left in plants supplying power to Delhi

Satyendar Jain said, 'There is only one day's stock left in the plants from which Delhi gets electricity, there is no coal at all'

Delhi Power Minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday held a meeting with the representatives of power distribution companies (discoms) in Delhi to discuss "power crisis" in the national capital and said that there is only one-day stock of coal left in the thermal power station from where Delhi gets electricity.

Speaking to ANI after meeting, Jain said, "There is an acute shortage of coal in coal-fired power plants across the country. There is only one day's stock left in the plants from which Delhi gets electricity, there is no coal at all."

Appealing to the Centre to transport coal to the national capital, the Delhi Power Minister said, "There is an appeal to the central government to transport coal soon using railway wagons."

He further informed that all the plants are already running on only 55 per cent capacity, instead of the full 3.4 lakh megawatt (MW) capacity. "Today, only 1 lakh MW demand is left instead of 3.4 MW demand, but still, the power plants are not able to meet this demand," he said.

Jain said that Delhi does have any coal plant of its own, the national capital has only small plants which produce gas. "We have a 1300 MW plant in Bawana, which runs on gas, where the gas supply was stopped yesterday. And the national capital does not have any coal plant of its own. Only three small plants are there which produce gas," he said.

He stated that at present Delhi is dependent upon the Centre's plant which is provided when we demanded power supply. "After two days, there will be a complete blackout in the whole Delhi, if we do not receive more power supply from the Centre," Jain added.

In order to resolve the power crisis in Delhi, Jain said that the government is ready to buy expensive electricity at present.

"The capacity of our hydroelectric plants has also reduced from 45,000 MW to 30,000 MW. But, we want the plants to generate 45,000 MW of electricity during this peak hour. We have also made power purchase agreements with NTPC of 35,000 MW-45,000 MW. Still, we are ready to buy the expensive electricity today at the cost of Rs 20 per unit, Jain added.

Further, Jain called this power crisis a 'man-made crisis'. "It seems that this power crisis is a man-made crisis, just like oxygen-crisis took place during the second wave of COVID-19 was also man-made," he said.