The Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) informed on Saturday that it has more than six million tones of coal stacks available for power generation.
The chairman and managing director of CCL, PM Prasad said that they are aiming to provide 1.85 lakh tones of coal each day to the states facing a power crisis.
Prasad said, “Central Coalfields Limited has more than 6 million tonnes of coal stocks, including mines and siding and we have set a target for transporting 1.85 lakhs tonnes per day to the power plants linked in Punjab, Haryana, UP, Bihar, and Jharkhand.”
The CCL has a total of seven linked power plants in the North including Punjab and Haryana, National Thermal Power Corporation plants in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Tenughat in Jharkhand, etc, reported ANI.
Prasad further said, “On an average, a total of 1.85 lakh tonnes of coal were dispatched in the last 29 days. During the last six days, we successfully reached 2 lakh.”
He then said that the aim to increase the supply to states with power crisis by transporting 2.20 lakh tones of coal per day in May.
“Coal India, as a whole is currently transporting around 17 lakh and aims at dispatching 50,000 more. This 50,000 involves 20,000 from the CCL as well,” he added.
Notably, CCL dispatches coal to 25 directly linked power plants. Coal is also available to NTPC and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) according to their needs.
An inter-ministerial group also monitors the areas with coal shortages daily, mentioned Prasad.
The Chairman and Managing Director assured that the situation will improve in the next seven to ten days, saying, “Collectively, we have a coal stock for one month, but the quantities might vary with some plants.”
The Director of Operations of the Jharkhand based Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) also assured that the situation in Jharkhand is under control.
K K Verma, the Director, said, “We supplied 100 per cent load to our all grids during the day and almost 100 per cent was supplied at night.”
