The Ministry of Power (MoP) has given a week’s notice to captive coal miners to raise production to 85 per cent of their targets or face curtailment of supply from Coal India Limited’s (CIL) pool to the linked power plants. …
This notice came in the face of fuel shortage affecting 109,327 MW of power plants. The improved captive production is expected tofree up bridging supplies and the coal thus freed-up could then be sent to power plants facing fuel crunch. The MoP has also asked the states or discoms with tie-ups with imported coal-fired power plants to meet their requirement from those units within two weeks’ time. Failure to comply will lead to reduction of domestic coal supply to power stations in the state. Coal supply will be stopped to power plants which have a stock of more than 10 days but are running at less than 40 per cent capacity or which have coal stock of more than 18 days. Coal supply would be halved to plants with fuel inventory of 11-18 days and operating at more than 40 per cent capacity.