RAICHUR: Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), managing director, Kumar Nayak, admitted that there is a massive shortage of coal. Nayak said owing to lack of rain and dearth of coal, power generation has dipped this financial year.
He was speaking after visiting thermal power plants in Raichur. He charted some action plan to overcome shortage. Kumar Nayak said for Bellary Thermal Power Station (BTPS) and Yeragera Thermal Power Station (YTPS), 10 lakh tonne of coal will be imported. The third unit of the BTPS and two units of YTPS started to run without allocation of coal. “At present the coal is being supplied from Singareni as per the memorandum of understanding with the company called SEL.”
Nayak further said that the actual requirement of coal for all stations in the state is 136 lakh tonnes of coal. From Singareni, the state is getting 56 lakh tonnes and shortage is pegged at 79 lakh tonnes. For BTPS, YTPS and other stations, for more supply of coal, tender will be called as soon as possible. He added, “Apart from from 136 lakh tonnes of coal, if more units start operating, then there will be requirement of additional 32 lakh tonnes.”
The tender will be called early to avoid power cuts and keep the supply of power intact. During the tender, a key element which is on the agenda is to supply good quality coal as substandard coal will reduce the capacity of power generation.
Talking about quantity of power generation in this financial year, he said the state had generated 17,875 million units which less compared to previous year. Last year, 19,767 million units of power was generated. This is including hydro and solar stations. He cited lack of rain and shortage of coal as a reason for this dip in power production.
The KPCL will take care to ensure there won’t be any power cuts in the summer, especially during examination time. Apart from this, after completion of all construction works, deforestation activity will be done to make the plant environment-friendly.
He said all precaution will be taken to avoid pollution in stations. Five instruments have been installed to record levels of harmful chemicals and the data will be sent to pollution control board, Delhi.KPCL will push more for solar and wind energy in this regard in the coming years. The KPCL is committed to the well being of the environment, he said.