Coal supply continues to haunt NTPC power stations

There seems to be no end in sight for coal supply shortages at major thermal power stations of NTPC across the country. During the month of March 2010, average coal stocks at the Kahalgaon, Talcher and Farakka super thermal power station (STPS) dipped below the quantity needed for five days of operations. Coal stock was also reported to be critically low at the Simhadri TPS. Specifically, the power-major's Kahalgaon plant was running with no buffer stock of domestic coal at the end of the month. Other major NTPC-power stations, at Kaniha in Orissa and Korba in Chhattisgarh, also witnessed significant depletion in coal stocks during the month.

To compensate for such deficits in domestic supply, NTPC had entered into a pact with state-owned mineral and mining enterprise, MMTC Limited, for import of 12.5 million tonnes (MT) coal during the year 2009-10. The supply of imported coal started in December 2009, while, as of March 31, 2010, a cumulative stock of 338,000 MT of imported coal is available at the various stations run by the power major.