UP power plants not facing critical coal shortage, Coal Ministry says
New Delhi, Sept 17 (TNT): None of the thermal power plants of Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (UPRVUNL) was in the critical-stock category as of September 15, the Ministry of Coal said on Thursday, ruling out any critical coal availability constraint at the plant end.
The ministry said Coal India Limited (CIL) continues to fully meet Uttar Pradesh’s coal requirement, while advising the state to expedite development of its captive Saharpur Jamarpani coal block in Jharkhand to ensure long-term fuel security.
Coal stocks at UPRVUNL’s thermal power plants increased from 7.25 lakh tonnes on September 1 to 8.41 lakh tonnes on September 15.
Over the preceding seven days, average daily coal receipts of around 0.90 lakh tonnes exceeded consumption of around 0.83 lakh tonnes, indicating a continued build-up of stocks.
CIL supplied an average of around 17.7 rakes a day to UPRVUNL plants over the last 10 days.
It also offered additional coal under the Road/RCR mode to generators and independent power producers, including UPRVUNL, on September 3.
The Ministry said the Saharpur Jamarpani coal block, located in Dumka district of Jharkhand and having reserves of more than 973 million tonnes, was allotted to UPRVUNL on August 13, 2015, specifically to meet the coal requirements of its thermal power projects.
However, the block has not been operationalised more than a decade after its allotment, resulting in the state’s continued dependence on CIL for its entire coal requirement.
The Ministry said 14 other power-sector captive coal blocks allotted on or after Saharpur Jamarpani have already been operationalised and commenced coal production for their respective end-use plants.
It urged Uttar Pradesh to take urgent steps to develop the block and reduce its dependence on external coal supplies.
The Ministry also flagged unloading constraints at various UPRVUNL plants, which periodically restrict rake placement by the Railways and limit further augmentation of coal supplies.
Despite coal stocks rising above 8 lakh tonnes, the current-month plant load factor (PLF) of UPRVUNL’s thermal power plants was around 48 per cent, it said.
The lower generation during the month, therefore, could not be attributed to inadequate coal availability at the plant end, the ministry said, adding that the state needed to address operational constraints at its generating stations and ensure optimal utilisation of available coal stocks.
The Ministry of Coal and CIL reiterated their commitment to supplying coal to Uttar Pradesh while asking the state to prioritise development of the Saharpur Jamarpani block for long-term fuel security.
TNT KS
