Coal shortage a telling indication of looming power crisis: AIPEF
New Delhi, April 19
Thermal plants across the country are grappling with coal shortages, indicating a looming power crisis in the country, said All-India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF).
Stock critical at 81 plants
- As per Central Electricity Authority’s latest daily coal report, the coal stock at 81 out of a total of 150 thermal power stations using domestic coal is critical as per guidelines
- The condition of the private sector thermal plants is equally bad as the coal stock of 28 out of 54 plants is in a critical stage. Rajasthan and UP are worst suffers in the North
‘12 states facing problem’
Mumbai: Maharashtra Energy Minister Nitin Raut on Tuesday said 12 states were facing electricity issues due to shortage of coal and that his department was working to mitigate the shortfall here with micro-level planning. PTI
More supply to power units
New Delhi: The country’s largest coal producer and supplier CIL on Tuesday said it has upped its supplies by 14.2% to coal-based electricity generating plants in the first half of the current month. PTI
“Thermal plants across the country are grappling with coal shortage as the power demand in states has increased, and many of them are not able to bridge the gap between demand and supply because of insufficient coal stocks at thermal plants,” AIPEF spokesperson VK Gupta said in a statement.
Gupta said coal shortages indicated a power crisis in the making. According to the statement, in the northern region, the worst suffering states are Rajasthan and UP. In Punjab, the coal stock at Rajpura thermal is for 17 days, four days for the Talwandi Sabo thermal and nil stock at GVK thermal. The Union Power Ministry has recommended the import of coal for blending up to 10 per cent to ensure adequate stock when the power demand is at its peak in the next few months. —
