Lucknow
The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government is shoring up coal inventories for the state thermal power plants to ensure uninterrupted supply during the current summer season with the mercury already topping 40 degrees Celsius.
This comes in the backdrop of a spurt in coal demand by the domestic power plants to cater to the peak load during the summer months. There are reports of the Coal India Limited (CIL) restricting deliveries to industrial consumers to prioritize thermal power units, which are already running low on coal stocks.
Besides, the coal prices in Asia are inching up following the European Union (EU) move to ban Russian coal supplies as part of wide-ranging economic sanctions imposed over the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
In fact, the power demand in UP has already shot past 21,000 megawatts (MW) on a daily basis, which is a record for the month of April.
Recently, UP energy and additional energy sources minister AK Sharma has ordered energy department officials to take steps for building an adequate stockpile of coal for the state thermal power plants operated by UP State Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited.
This is to ensure these units are not adversely impacted during the summer and monsoon seasons on account of a coal shortage. The Nigam operates thermal power units at Anpara, Obra, Pariccha and Harduaganj.
Besides, the UP government has requested the Union coal secretary to ensure adequate coal supply to the state, while the Railways Minister has been urged to send 12 coal rakes on a daily basis.
Last year too, the Yogi Adityanath government had sought adequate coal supplies from the CIL. In October 2021, the then UP energy minister Shrikant Sharma claimed that UP power plants were not getting coal allocation according to operational requirements.
Due to coal shortage, some state thermal power units in UP had either to be closed or were run sub-optimally. The state was even compelled to procure additional energy to make up for the shortfall in the state's captive power generation.
India is among the largest coal importers. It primarily imports the commodity from Indonesia, Australia, South Africa and the USA.