Power Ministry to ask utilities to plan imports in advance

The Power ministry is likely to firm up a shelf of power projects likely to come up during the 12 Plan period along with their coal...

The Power ministry is likely to firm up a shelf of power projects likely to come up during the 12 Plan period along with their coal linkage status by the middle of this month. It is also set to ask power utilities to plan their imports in advance in a way so that they can achieve optimal evacuation mechanism to be able to withstand any critical coal shortage.

We are planning to firm up a shelf of power projects likely to come up during the 12th Plan which have applied for coal linkage. As per the coal distribution policy,before recommending for linkages,we would factor in the linkages already granted,existing capacity and also coal available through the allocated blocks besides transportation logistics, power ministry sources said.

In view of the keenness exhibited by public and private sector power developers in setting up projects,the ministry would try and finalise maximum projects rather then putting a cap on the basis of capacity addition during the plan period. We will try and firm up such projects by middle of this month, sources said and pointed out.

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The ministry was also considering to advise all power utilities to plan their imports in a such a way to ensure achieving optimal evacuation capacity through the railways especially during monsoon,when production by coal companies is usually less.

Sources said coal-based thermal generation during April-June period was constrained due to coal shortage as actual supplies to thermal power station was 87 per cent of linkage resulting in generation loss of 988 MU (upto May) at various power stations of Maharashtra and NTPC.

Out of 78 thermal stations,30 had critical stocks of which 11 stations had super critical stock position that is stock for less than 4 days as on June 30. The total coal stock at thermal stations was 11.06 MT against a desired stock of 22 MT. PLF of thermal stations during the period April-June period was 79.70 per cent against a target of 80.15 per cent.