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NEW DELHI : Fear of power shortage continues with low stock of coal at thermal plants.
According to data from Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the 173 power plants under it have a total stock of 22.57 million tonne, 34% compared to the normative requirement of 66.72 million tonne as on April 18.
About 100 of these plants have critical stocks, or less than 25% of the normative requirement, while 18 plants that are close to coal mines are maintaining an average of 80% of normative stocks.
About 155 non-pithead plants, which are not near coal mines, have only 26% of normative stocks.
Amid concerns of shortage in coal stock and high power demand, state-run Coal India Limited (CIL) on Tuesday said that it has raised its supplies to thermal power stations by 14.2% during the first half of April 2022 compared to same period last fiscal. Coal India’s supplies have hit 1.64 million tonnes (MTs) per day during this period against 1.43 MTs of similar period April’21.
Further, the company accelerated its production to 26.4 million tonnes during the first half of April registering 27% ear-on-year growth.
“The company is heading for its highest April production ever. Output expansion in volume terms was 5.7 MTs, " it said.
It said that to tide over the intense demand, CIL has made available additional 8.75 MTs of coal to State and Central Gencos for lifting through rail-cum-road mode, till 31 May.
“However, the escalating power demand driven up by the post pandemic economic buoyancy and hotter than normal summer seem to dwarf the upsurge in supplies, " it added.
With the early onset of summers, the temperature has soared above 41 degrees centigrade in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The country’s total power generation was 9.5 percent higher, at an average of 4.53 Billion Units (BU), till April 15, 2022, over same period last year. The increase was 400 million units per day against the average generation of 4.13 BU for the comparative period.
The company further said that it is coordinating with the ministries of coal, power and railways to build up stocks at power plants in a synergic effort.
“The company’s supplies are on the up so far. The pressure would ease if the imported coal based power plants meet their requisite imports set for the year, " it said.
Last week, the power ministry allowed states to use the tolling facility for up to 25% of linkage coal to cater to the growing domestic power demand and coal shortage. It would enable states to optimally utilize coal linkage in plants closer to mines as it would be easier to transmit electricity than transporting coal to them from mines. The government has also asked gencos to import coal to blend to 10% of their requirements.