Orissa power plant shutdown forces E. Coast Rly to step up coal loading

The week-long shutdown of four units of NTPC's Kanhia super thermal power plant in Orissa, for violation of environmental norms, has forced the East Coast Railway (ECoR) to step up loading and transportation of coal for other consumers.

“Normally, we load seven rakes of coal a day for Kanhia plant – five rakes of imported coal and two rakes of domestic coal – but that loading is now totally stopped”, said an ECoR source.

“We have, therefore, stepped up loading for other consumers”.

But then, as it is pointed out, the other consumers too are finding it difficult to cope with the sudden rush in the arrival of coal. “We, therefore, had to go slow in the past two days in respect of other consumers”.

While the increased volume of imported coal is being loaded and transported for aluminium plant in Orissa and power plants, both in private and public sectors, in West Bengal, the extra volume of domestic coal is being pushed into Simadri power plant in Andhra Pradesh.

ECoR, it is learnt, is now loading close four rakes of Talcher coal for Simadri plant against the programme of 2.5 rakes a day.

“Faced with virtually zero demand of coal from Kanhia plant, we're overdoing for Simadri “, the sources observe.

Imported coal has been an important component for ECoR's coal traffic, the average daily loading of imported coal at three ports of Paradip, Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram coming to about 25 rakes – 12 rakes at Paradip, eight rakes at Visakhapatnam and five rakes at Gangavaram.

Since the monsoon is yet to break out in full fury, there has not been much disruption in coal loading at ports so far, except for two days when heavy rains a few days ago had hit normal operations at Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram ports.

But what is now causing concern is the sudden drop in Steel Authority of India Ltd's offtake of imported coal, presumably because its coke oven plants at two of its units are not working, the sources add.

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