Coal shortage hits RTPS, H D Kumaraswamy writes to coal minister
However, there will be no load shedding for now, officials said.
The state government has sought the help of central government to tide over shortage of coal at the Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS), which has affected supply of power in the state. However, there will be no load shedding for now, officials said.
Sources said that there is zero coal stock at RTPS, which is a 1720 mega watt capacity plant, and the situation is being managed with whatever stock left and with hydel sources.
Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has written to Coal Minister Piyush Goyal saying that the Western Coal Field (WCF), a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd, has not full honoured the Fuel Supply Quantity agreement and there is a shortfall of 6 lakh tonnes for 2018 that has left RTPS with zero coal stocks.
The letter requests the Coal Ministry to look into the matter on an emergency basis and to arrange for the supply of coal from Mahanadi Coalfield Limited for uninterrupted generation of power.
An official from the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) said the situation at RTPS is grim and the plant will not be able to function at its capacity soon. “We are still waiting for a detailed report from RTPS. But all that we can say is that the situation is grim and the station is facing a severe shortage of coal. The WCF has not supplied even half
the requirement of coal. The CM has written the letter. We will see what decision the Coal Ministry will take and hope that the situation eases soon.”
He said, “RTPS officials said that they will not stop production and if they receive coal supplies within the next a few days, the situation will return to normal. If there is no supply, some of the units will have to be shut down. The RTPS is also looking at other options to source coal.”
An official from the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (KPTCL) said that the coal shortage at RTPS will not affect Bengaluru’s power supply.