Coal shortage: Haryana looks to other states
Rajendra Khatry: Jan 21, 2009
Chandigarh: With the coal stock in Yamunanagar thermal power plant reaching a zero figure last week and one day’s stock left at the Panipat thermal power plant, the coal shortage in Haryana has reached a critical stage,
While the plant at Panipat needs seven rakes of coal daily, at least two rakes of coal are required daily at the Yamunanagar plant.
It is not just Haryana that is facing the acute shortage of coal supply.
The situation is similar in other states also, according to figures available with the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).
Out of the 77 thermal power plants in the country, coal stock is critical in 66 plants. Out of these,
25 plants have the stock of less than four days, while 41 plants of less than seven days.
The Union Coal Ministry has given a green signal to various states for importing coal. Sources in the Haryana Power Utilities say the state is likely to import coal through the central public sector unit-Coal India Limited (CIL).

The CIL will import about six lakh metric tonnes of coal, with high calorific value, from either Indonesia or Australia, for Haryana.
Sources said the shortage of sufficient wagons in the railways and labour problems in some coal companies leading to delay in excavation, were the main reasons for the poor supply of coal to the power plants.
Talking to Newsline, Sanjiv Kaushal, Managing Director of Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL), said Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has written a letter to the Union Minister of Coal and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for expeditious environmental clearance and development of the “Mara to Mahan” coal block in Singrauli district, allocated to the joint venture of Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL) and Indraprastha Power Generation Corporation Limited (IPGCL).
Meanwhile, a meeting of the joint venture Yamuna Coal Company Private Limited, was held today with the Madhya Pradesh Power Board members for getting the environment clearance for the coal block.
Managing Director of IPGCL, R K Gaur, and Technical Consultant of HPGCL, R S Bhatti, represented the joint venture company in the meeting.