Coal shortage: Kolkata faces blackout threat

Thermal power plants of West Bengal are running short of coal reserves and the state might be heading towards a blackout.

Thermal power plants of West Bengal are running short of coal reserves and the state might be heading towards a blackout. “On Thursday, power plants of the state had a coal reserve of 1,60,000 tonnes. This is just enough to run the plants for four days,” said S Mahapatra, Managing Director of West Bengal Power Development Corporation (WBPDCL).

“While the WBPDCL receives nearly 31,000 tonnes of coal daily, we require nearly 41,000 tonnes of coal a day to run the power plants and 50,000 tonnes are required to run these plants at full capacity,” he said. Mahapatra added, “A daily gap of 10,000 tonnes is eating into the coal reserves that the WBPDCL has right now.”

WBPDCL sources said the situation at several power plants was critical. “Three days ago, Bakreshwar Thermal Power Plant had just four hours of coal reserves and was on the verge of a shutdown. On Thursday, the plant had just 20 hours of coal reserves.”

The state power department is alarmed at the development. Senior officials say that a power plant is expected to have coal stocks to maintain its operations for nearly 21 days. Officials are apprehensive that if the situation does not improve, the state may witness a complete blackout.

“No one can predict what would happen. It is not possible for me to predict that the coal supply would improve or deteriorate,” said Mahapatra.

The department has blamed the coal-supplying companies for the situation. “Despite promises the companies made to us, they are supplying insufficient coal,” said Power Secretary Sunil Mitra. Further, in spite of a promise to supply extra coal for generating additional 1570 mw this year, the coal companies are reluctant to increase the supply, said an official.

The coal companies, however, blame the state government for the crisis. “We are supplying the amount of coal that we had promised to the government. This year we would supply 292.93 metric tonnes of coal, which is 12.8 metric tonnes more than last year,” said Partha Bhattacharjee, chairman of Coal India Limited.

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He alleged that the state government has not imported sufficient quantity of coal this year, which has caused the crisis. The state government has also not developed the coal blocks that the coal company handed over to the power department, Bhattacharjee said.

Mitra, however, said: “Imported coal is more than three times costlier than indigenous coal. We want to reduce the burden on the power department.”

The CPM has taken up the matter to the top level in Delhi. Talking from Delhi, party MP Bangsagopal Choudhury threatened that they will prevent coal transportation from West Bengal, if the coal companies do not increase the state’s share in the coal produced in the state.

“We discussed the issue with Union Coal Ministry officials. If the situation does not improve, we will stop loading and transportation of coal from Bengal,” said Choudhury.