Coal shortages hurting NTPC's power generation

NTPC lamented that coal shortage is hurting the performance of several of its plants, including Dadri and Vindhyachal, resulting in lesser electricity generation.

Going by estimates, coal shortages are impacting over 4,000 Mw of NTPC’s power generation capacity.

The state-run major said that many of its power stations across states have been impacted by shortage of coal, as a result of which electricity supplied from them is less than their installed capacities. Mining and loading of coal to many power plants have also been hit due to heavy rains and strikes, which have affected coal production at “Northern Coalfields Ltd, Central Coalfields, Eastern Coalfields, Mahanadi Coalfields and Singareni collieries Company mines”.

The company pointed out that coal supply from these mines accounts for about 70 per cent of the company’s contracted quantity.

“NTPC power stations at Dadri in National Capital Region, Singrauli & Unchahar in North, Vindhyachal in Madhya Pradesh, Farakka & Kahalgaon in East and Ramagundam & Simhadari in South are affected due to coal shortage,” it said in a statement.

According to the company, the Badarpur plant is generating less since the temporary closure of Agra Canal has caused water shortage.

Before the onset of monsoon, NTPC had a coal stock of 5.3 million tones to meet the requirement of 13.2 of days which has depleted drastically,” the statement noted. “Frequent bandhs in CCL area and strike by Coal India Ltd  employees on October 10-11 and continued strike at SCCL as part of Telangana agitation from September 13-20 have further aggravated the coal situation,” it added.Currently, NTPC has an installed capacity of 34,854 Mw.