No Thermal Power Plant Reported Shut Down Due to Coal Supply
Depending upon the availability of indigenous coal, shortage of coal is estimated on a year to year basis. For the year 2011-12, against an estimated coal requirement of 455 Million Tonne(MT), availability of indigenous coal was indicated as 402 MT, thereby resulting in a shortfall of 53 MT coal.
No operating thermal power station reported shut down due to non-availability of coal during 2010-11 and 2011-12. Main reasons for short supply of coal during the current year are:
(i) Less transportation of coal from coal mines to railway sidings.
(ii) Inadequate crushing capacity at the coal mines.
(iii) Law and order problems in the Central Coalfields Limited and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited.
(iv) Reduction in coal production in SCCL due to worker’s strike during September – October, 2011.
(v) Excessive rains in the coal fields of Northern Coalfields Limited, Central Coalfields Limited and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited.
Following steps have been taken by the Government to augment supply of coal to thermal power stations :
(i) Ministry of Coal/ Coal India Ltd. (CIL) is being insisted upon to enhance production of domestic coal in the country.
(ii) Power Utilities are being advised to import coal to bridge the shortfall between requirement of coal and its availability from the domestic sources.
(iii) The coal supply position is reviewed at various levels in Ministry of Coal, Ministry of Power and Cabinet Secretariat with participation from the concerned Ministries, CEA, Coal India Limited and NTPC.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Power Shri K. C. Venugopal in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
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