The Hindu Business Line : Coal stocks in thermal stations at `critical' levels

A TOTAL of 23 out of 75 thermal power stations operating in the country with coal from different subsidiaries of Coal India Ltd (CIL) are in rough weather with stocks at their end declining below the declared critical level equivalent of seven days' consumption.

The stock at some of the affected power stations is not sufficient to meet even a day's consumption.

Most power houses with critical stock position are located in the northern region. A total of 13 power thermal stations with a combined generation capacity of about 10,000 MW are currently operating with zero to five days' stocks. Unless adequate wagons are arranged by the Northern Railways to evacuate coal from the mines to those stations, power generations from these mines are likely to be affected.

Informed sources indicate that Dadri (840 MW capacity), Harduaganj (425 MW) and Panki (242 MW) are running with no stock, while Parichha (220 MW) is operating with a day's stock.

Unchahar (840 MW), Kota (1,045 MW) and Panipat (860 MW) have two days' coal stock, while NTPC's Badarpur (705 MW), Indraprashta Station (248 MW) and Faridabad (165 MW) Tanda (440 MW ) have five days' stock. Suratgarh is operating with five days' stock. Thermal power stations under the jurisdiction of the Western Railway is, to some extent, better positioned as only four stations, namely Gandhinagar (870 MW), Wanakbori (1,470 MW), Sikka (240 MW) and Korba East (400 MW) are operating below critical level stock of seven days. First two plants have three days' stock, while the other two have six days' stock.

A total of 12 power stations, which depend on Southern Railway as carrier of coal, are operating with comfortable stocks. On the contrary, six out of 22 thermal power stations, which depend on Eastern Railway, have been hit. The affected power stations, namely Bandel (530 MW), Santaldih (480 MW) and Kolaghat (1,260 MW) have six days' stock, leaving NTPC's Kahalgaon (840 MW) with four days' stock. Incidentally, Kahalgaon depends on NTPC's merry-go-round railway system.

All the power stations with critical coal stock positions have linkages with coal mines of CIL.None depend on imported coal. A CIL source, confirming the critical coal stock situation in some thermal power stations, said that there was no dearth of domestic coal, at least for the linked customer. In fact, the combined pithead stock of CIL is increasing. The company is expected to complete the current fiscal (March 2004) with a production of about 301 million tonnes (m.t.) and a pithead stock of about 21 m.t. as against last year's production of about 290 m.t. and a pithead stock of about 19 m.t.