Projects below 200 MW coming on stream after March next year will not get coal supplies as the government looks to promote higher-capacity power plants that consume less fuel. The new policy, however, won't apply to captive plants to be set up by industrial units.
The power ministry will not recommend coal linkages to central, state or independent power projects with unit size below 200 MW under its amended policy for projects in the 12th Five-Year Plan, beginning next year.
"The amendments have been made keeping in view our target to shift to energy-efficient technology," a senior power ministry official said.
The government expects that supercritical technology would be used in three out of five thermal plants in the 12th plan and in all such plants by the 13th Plan. Power plants based on supercritical technology require less coal for generating same amount of heat and less polluting.
The move also assumes significance in the backdrop of huge coal shortage faced by the country as available coal linkages are barely sufficient for sustaining 3,000 MW of additional power supply.
IFCI Financial Services research analyst Sachin Mehta said that the amendments to the policy have been formulated to discourage developers from setting up lower capacity coal-based plants. He said of the 58,000-MW projects that are under construction for commissioning in 12th Plan close to 50,000 MW capacities is based on coal and most units are of more than 200 MW.
In the earlier coal linkage policy announced in October 2009, the government said coal supplies for captive and private power projects of less than 200 MW would be considered only if equipment was sourced from reputed domestic manufacturers.
The policy would still give priority to energy-efficient power plants being set up by central and state public sector undertakings and projects to be bid out on tariff-based competitive bidding. Balance coal would be distributed among private and captive projects.
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