The Ministry of Coal on Sunday said coal supplies to Punjab's thermal power plants remain adequate, countering reports that shortages were contributing to reduced power generation and prolonged power cuts across the state.
The ministry said Coal India Limited (CIL) and its subsidiaries have continued supplying coal to Punjab's Independent Power Producers (IPPs). It added that timely lifting of allocated coal, higher utilisation of PSPCL's captive mines and improved plant performance are crucial to sustaining generation.
For Nabha Power Limited (NPL) in Rajpura, average coal consumption over the past three days stood at about 4.3 rakes a day, against supply of nearly five rakes.
Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL) consumed around 3.8 rakes daily, while receiving about five rakes. During September so far, supplies have also exceeded average consumption at both plants.
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The ministry highlighted a separate issue at PSPCL's Pachhwara Central Coal Mine.
Production reached 83.67% of the annual target between April and September 11, while despatch was only 68.44%. It has resulted in around 3.21 lakh tonnes of unevacuated coal, which Punjab can use to increase generation at its own plants.
PSPCL's three thermal plants have a combined capacity of 2,300 MW. As of September 11, their coal stock stood at around 114% of the normative requirement. However, their tentative September plant load factor was only about 59%, indicating that low generation cannot be attributed to insufficient coal stocks at the plants.
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CIL has also offered additional coal to Punjab's IPPs. However, booking and lifting remain below the quantities allocated. Further coal allocations under the Flexibility Policy are yet to be lifted.
The ministry said timely coal lifting, better captive mine utilisation and closer monitoring of plant breakdowns will be essential to improving Punjab's power generation and meeting rising demand.
(With PTI Inputs)
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