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There is no shortage of coal in Karnataka, according to Minister of Coal and Railways, Piyush Goyal.
In a statement issued after a meeting with former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and Chief Minister of Karnataka HD Kumaraswamy, Goyal said there is no scarcity of coal in the State.
He also said that the plants in Karnataka currently have, on an average, five days stock of coal which is equal to 2.24 lakh tonnes.
Goyal hit out at the Karnataka government and hinted at mismanagement of coal stocks.
“Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd. (KPCL) sold 584.91 million units of power at the energy exchange this year till October 2018. This amounts to consuming 3.8 lakh tonnes of coal which otherwise could have been used to boost coal stocks in power plants,” he said.
“It is better that the plants maintained at least 20 days’ stock of coal for uninterrupted functioning,” he added.
He pointed to the anticipated pick-up in the demand for power in February/March 2019 and asked the power plants to manage their inventory efficiently.
Peak in demand
He said that transaction at energy exchanges should be done to take advantage of cheaper power right now to ensure better build up of coal stocks in thermal power plants.
“This will help avoid purchase of power in February/March, when prices are expected to be higher due to peaking of demand,” he added.
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