Dispelling “rumours” in the social media that there will be power cuts for several hours after Dasara in the name of ‘emergency load relief’, Energy Secretary N. Srikant,in a release, has said that the AP-Genco has been provided ₹250 crore for procuring coal from “wherever it is available in the country,” and that eight extra coal rakes have been allotted to the State.
“Logistical problems that affected production of coal around the world and the disruptions in supply have indeed stifled power generation in Andhra Pradesh, but the Discoms are taking all steps to prevent prolonged power cuts. They are permitted to buy power from the spot market to the extent required even as the AP-Genco is scouting for coal supplies,” Mr. Srikant said in the release.
The prices in the spot market, where private players dictate the terms, will be higher as power will be traded for immediate delivery.
Plea to Ministry
“Besides, the government has requested the Ministry of Power to allot 400 MW available with the Central generating stations to the State at nominal rate to help meet the burgeoning demand,” he said, and added that the mining companies had been asked to supply coal to the power plants without insisting on payments for purchases made earlier as per the Ministry’s guidelines.
Further, Mr. Srikant said efforts were being made to buy coal from the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) in Telangana to supplement the existing coal reserves. Steps were also taken to start generation at the new 800-MW units at the Dr. Narla Tatarao Thermal Power Station (NTTPS) near Vijayawada and the Sri Damodaram Sanjeevaiah Thermal Power Station at Krishnapatnam in Nellore district at the earliest, he added.
Deficit
Meanwhile, the AP-Transco officials said in a high-level review meeting that energy deficit in the State for the last five days was about 1.22 MU, but it was far higher in States such as Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
Of the average daily demand of 185 MU, the State had a deficit of less than 1 MU per day during the last 16 days. There were supply interruptions, but the situation was well under control, the officials said.
The power purchase price in the open market slid to ₹6.11 per unit from ₹20 from Friday, which was a huge relief for the utilities, they said.
The coal stocks (in tonnes) at the AP-Genco plants on Saturday were as follows: Rayalaseema Thermal Power Plant (RTPP) - 76,943, SDSTPS - 59,926, and NTTPS - 17,493, which would last for 3.66, 3.15 and 0.61 days. The average quantity of coal (in tonnes) required per day for full generation at these plants is: 21,000, 19,000, and 28,500 respectively.
