The government has asked Coal India Limited (CIL) and the railways to prioritize fuel supply to pithead power plants irrespective of their quota or contracted quantity to help them run at full capacity and meet peak demand.
CIL normally supplies a maximum of 90% of the requirement for running a plant at 85% capacity. In peak season, higher demand for coal congests the railways, making it easier to stock up pithead plants.
Not all coalfields have enough production to meet the demand of a pithead plant while some mines also cater to other customers.
Seventeen plants are located near coal mines. They have a total capacity of 33.18 GW comprising 21% of the total thermal capacity. In April-May this year, 13 out of them ran at 82-100% capacity. Their fuel stocks are sufficient for 12 days on average.
Demand has risen with rapid electrification of all villages and the Centre’s Saubhagya scheme, which offers connections to all willing households. The demand is likely to increase further as the government aims to supply uninterrupted power to all, although farmers would get seven-eight hours a day.
As part of the plan, central and state-owned plants are to be given additional responsibility and facilitated to step up generation to provide uninterrupted power at appropriate price to consumers during the peak demand period. These plants have been asked to maintain plant availability and adequate coal stocks as per the norms. In May, power demand breached last year’s record three months before the demand usually peaks.
