The New Indian Express ·
Punjab power generation drops by 1,500 MW amid severe coal shortage
CHANDIGARH: There has been a 1,500 MW drop in power generation in Punjab due to a severe national coal shortage, with reduced allocations and tightened supplies affecting key private-sector thermal plants, Rajpura and Talwandi Sabo, with a capacity of 3,380 MW, as they have five and six days of coal stock left, respectively, while the three state-owned thermal plants have 13 to 29 days of stock left and one plant in Haryana has critical coal stocks.
These are among the 52 power plants using domestic coal across the country that are operating with critically low coal stock. The plants classified as critical on coal stocks have less than 25 per cent of their normative inventory.
As per the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) report on September 4, 57 coal-fired power plants in the country are currently functioning with critically low coal stocks, and their combined stock stood at 27.1 million tonnes (MT), equivalent to 47 per cent of the 57.7 MT recommended level. Amid weak monsoon, heavy monsoon rainfall in coal belts hinders coal supplies, and electricity demand rises amid weather conditions linked to El Nino.
