Coal shortage may hit power generation in UP

 

Lucknow: The All-India Power Engineers Federation said that thermal  power generation was likely to be affected due to coal  shortage as had happened in October last year.

The power demand in Uttar Pradesh has reached 21,000 megawatt and the supply is around 19,000 MW to 20,000 MW.

Though there is no serious coal crisis in thermal power plants operated by Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam, their reserve stock is only 26 per cent of the standard norm. The situation is likely to turn difficult with the increase in the demand for electricity with the rise in mercury level.

The Anpara Thermal Power Project with a capacity of 2,630 MW is at the pit head of the coal mine. Normally there should be coal for 17 days. The other projects are Harduaganj of 1,265 MW, Obra of 1,094 MW and Parichha of 1140 MW. Since the coal is not at the pit head of the mine, there should be 26 days’ coal stock as per the standard norm.

According to the records, 5.96 lakh metric tons of coal should be in stock in Anpara whereas at present it has only 3.28 lakh MT. Harduaganj should have 4.97 lakh MT of coal in stock but has only 65,700 MT of coal. Obra should have 4.45 lakh MT while there is only little over one lakh MT of coal stock left with it. There should be 4.30 lakh MT of coal in Parichha whereas only 12,900 MT coal is in its stock.

In contrast to about 19.69 lakh MT of coal stock in all four thermal power projects, they have only 5.11 lakh MT of coal which is only 26 per cent of the standard norm.

The daily consumption of coal at Anpara is 40, 000 MT, but only 29,000 metric tons of coal is available with it, Harduaganj has 15,000 MT coal against 17,000 MT requirement, Obra 11,000 MT against 12000 MT and in Parichha only 4,000 MT of coal is left against requirement of 11,000 MT. Parichha generates 910 MW power and it has only one day's coal so the production has been reduced to 500 MW.

Chairman of All-India Power Engineers Federation, Shailendra Dubey, said this situation had arisen due to the lack of foresight of the management. He said in October last year, Parichha thermal power station had to be closed due to coal shortage.

Dubey said that Uttar Pradesh got the cheapest electricity from Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam, at only Rs 1.74 per unit from the Anpara project. He said in such a situation, it was necessary that the mistake of September-October 2021 was not repeated and coal stock was ensured in thermal power stations as per the requirement. He said if the state-run power plants were to be closed due to coal shortage then the government would have to buy power at exorbitant rates of over Rs 12 per unit from the power exchange.

Union Power Minister RK Singh has blamed the steep rise in the prices of imported coal due to the Russia-Ukraine war for the coal crisis as well as lack of adequate availability of railway wagons to transport coal to power stations. For coal supply to the thermal power stations of the country, 453 rakes are required whereas only 379 wagons were available in the first week of April.

Dubey said the demand for coal had increased by 9 per cent as compared to last year and only eight days’ coal was left in thermal power stations in 12 states of the country. (Agencies)