Anticipating a demand-supply problem that could trigger a power crisis during the upcoming monsoon season when coal dispatches slow down, the power ministry on Thursday wrote to several states over pending dues to generation companies and the Coal India Limited (CIL), the country’s largest coal producer.
Union power minster RK Singh also wrote separately to states such as Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal and Karnataka to lift the coal allotted to them on time or face cuts in allocation.
“CIL has offered 0.53 MT [million tonnes] of coal through RCR (rail-cum-road) mode to UPRVUNL (Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited), against which, UPRVUNL has lifted only 0.18 MT so far and 0.36 MT is still un-lifted in RCR mode… I would request you to direct the concerned in UPRVUNL to take immediate steps to place order for import of coal for blending and also to lift entire coal offered under RCR mode in order to meet the coal requirement of UPRVUNL plants,” states Singh’s letter to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
