The non-availability of additional coal stocks to meet the requirement in the monsoon season is proving costly for the 2,600 MWs National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Ramagundam in Karimnagar district with the stoppage of power generation in two units in a row.
Due to shortage of coal supply from the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) following the incessant rains, the NTPC Ramagundam had shutdown two of its power stations during the last one week. Initially, it had stopped power generation at second unit of 200 MWs and on Tuesday it had shutdown its first unit of 200 MWs.
Against the installed capacity of 2,600 MWs, the NTPC was generating power only 1,450 MWs of power reducing the capacities of remaining five units of (2200 MWs).
Accepting that there was shortage of coal supply from Singareni open cast projects (OCP) due to rains, the official sources said that the NTPC was utilising the opportunity for taking up annual overhauling by shutting down the power stations.
The Singareni was supplying only 15,000 to 20,000 metric tonnes of coal per day in the last one week in the name of no production in OCPs due to rains against the target of supplying 32,000 metric tonnes per day, the NTPC sources said.
Singareni should also gear up and increase its coal production by using latest machinery in the OCPs to meet the growing demand in the power and other sectors, they said, adding that even if there is a little rain, the coal production has been coming to a grinding halt in the OCPs and causing problem to NTPC Ramagundam.
The Singareni sources said that there is great demand for coal in the power sector. But, we are unable to meet the demand due to decline in production following the reduction of employees, non-availability of adequate modern machinery and delay in opening of new mines, which were pending for various clearances including environment from the Union government.
Though the Union government had announced setting up an additional 1,600 MWs power stations in NTPC Ramagundam, the government had not made any announcement of coal linkage as the national coal allocation committee was not constituted so far, they added.
