In a warning sign just before the power demand is expected to touch a record high, all thermal power plants in the state, except the privately owned Rajpura plant, do not have adequate coal stock.
Around three months after the coal mine at Pachhwara in Jharkhand became operational, Punjab is still struggling to maintain the minimum coal stock of 31 days, leading to frequent power outages in some parts of the state.
Barring the Nabha thermal plant in Rajpura, all private and state-owned power plants are left with the coal stock for less than 11 days. “Loading and transportation are the key factors behind the low coal stock at various thermal plants in the state,” says a senior official.
