Karnataka thermal plants face crisis as coal stocks fall drastically

• 7 years ago (2017-09-25)
• David Flin

Asia 892 Coal 296

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The Indian state of Karnataka may be facing power shortages in the coming days, as the state’s coal-fired power plants face a critical drop in coal supply, with stocks available for just one day. These plants normally maintain coal stocks sufficient for 30 days, but officials have stated that the current stocks will last for just over one day.

A senior official with the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) said: “Ideally, we have a coal stock that will last for a little over a month. Currently, we have stock that will last us for little over one day. If the coal supply does not come in time, then there may be a complete power outage for three to four days.”

Karnataka does not possess any coal mines, and has to import all of its coal. The KPCL official said: “There are no coal mines in the state, as they have been depleted. We import coal from other states. A large proportion comes from Telangana, Maharashtra, and Odisha, and there has been a shortage of supply. We need over 50,000 tonnes of coal per day. The Raichur Thermal Power Station has a total capacity of 1720 MW, and requires 30,000 tonnes of coal per day. The Ballari Thermal Power Station requires 22,000 tonnes of coal per day. Compared to previous years, this year there has been a huge decrease in coal supply. It is quite normal for a decrease in supply of coal at this time of the year, but we always manage to have 10 days’ worth of supply, but now it has reached a very low level.”