No coal shortage in UP thermal power plants: Piyush Goyal

The sate has written several letters to Centre seeking adequate coal supply to existing plants and coal linkages to proposed plants

Amid oft-repeated charge of the Uttar Pradesh government about coal shortage in the state thermal power plants, union minister of state for power and coal Piyush Goyal today asserted there was absolutely no shortage of coal in any plant.

Goyal, who met UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav at his official residence here, claimed that none of the state thermal power plants had to be shut down due to paucity of coal.

UP government, which is targetting to ramp up power generation to provide 16 hr and 22-24 hr power supply in the rural and urban areas respectively by 2016-17, has over the last year written several letters to the Centre seeking adequate coal supply to the existing plants and coal linkages to the proposed plants.

Talking to newspersons at the BJP headquarters, Goyal informed he had a detailed review of the UP power sector and the problems faced by it.

"There is sufficient coal supply to all thermal power plants in the state. Besides, there is adequate availability of power in the country. Additionally, we are ready to supply even more coal and power to UP if required," he replied to a Business Standard query.

Goyal further claimed coal production under the current NDA regime had posted stupendous growth.

"Coal India has clocked growth of 32 million tonnes (MT) in coal production during the 10 months of the Modi government during 2014-15 against the growth of merely 31 MT during full four years from 2010 to 2014," he said.

In the two months of the current fiscal 2015-16, Coal India has registered 12 percent growth in coal production, Goyal added.

Meanwhile, he informed UP had requested to procure power from Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

Goyal observed issues of power should be treated above politics and that the central government was committed towards providing 24 hr power supply in the country.

Under the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, which is aimed at improving power supply in the rural areas, the union minister said UP should install separate feeders like Gujarat.

He said UP would also gain under the Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), which is dedicated towards upgrading power infrastructure in urban pockets.