M A I N   N E W S

PSEB averts power crisis, pays for coal
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 16
The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) authorities have averted a major power crisis during the ongoing paddy transplantation season as they have ensured the supply of coal to the local Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant (GNDTP) by making payments to three coal companies.

Two units, number two and four, of the GNDTP have been lying closed for the past many days as the coal stocks have been depleting day by day due to stoppage of supply by the coal companies on account of a delay in their payments.

Official sources said the PSEB made a payment of about Rs 15 crore to Bharat Cooking Coal Limited (BCCL), Central Coal Limited (CCL) and South-Eastern Coal Limited (SECL) in the first instalment and subsequently a payment of more than Rs 40 crore was made to these three companies, which were main supplier of coal to the GNDTP.

The sources said as the monsoon was yet to hit the state and paddy transplantation had been going on a large scale, the demand for power was rising every day. If need be, the PSEB would buy power from other sources to meet the demand during season. The PSEB authorities had been anticipating that demand for power would increase considerably during this season as the farmers, who had been disappointed by the failure of cotton crop repeatedly, were turning increasingly to paddy cultivation.

Mr S.C. Mahajan, Chief Engineer, GNDTP, when contacted, said at present three units were functioning. The fourth would be made operational after adequate coal stocks were built up. He pointed out that about 35,000 metric tonnes (MT) of coal was lying in the stock at present and the fourth unit would be run when the stock touched 60,000 MT. The daily consumption of coal, when the entire unit ran, was about, 6,500 MT.