Centre directs thermal power plants to import 4% coal

Tribune News Service

Patiala, September 5

Expecting coal shortage in the coming days, the Centre has asked power utilities to import 4 per cent of their coal requirement up to March next year. Punjab, however, has decided to oppose the move as “imported coal blend will put additional financial burden” (running into crores), while the state already has a captive coal mine.

“The gap between coal consumption by domestic coal-based plants and supply is 2 lakh tonne per day because of infrastructure problems and constraints being faced by the Railways,” says a letter of the Union Ministry of Power.

A senior official of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) said the directive would mean that the coal cost would go up. “The price of indigenous coal is around Rs 5,500 per tonne. The coal imported from Indonesia costs around $200 per tonne (Rs 15,000). Add another Rs 3,300 per tonne transportation charges from the seaport in Gujarat to Punjab. This additional cost will be passed on to consumers,” he said.

The All Indian Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) has termed the September 1 directive of the Union power ministry as “an attempt by the Centre to put undue pressure on states”. Since the coal crisis was not due to any fault of the power houses, the additional cost of coal imports should be borne by the Centre, it said.

PSPCL CMD Baldev Singh Sran said, “We will seek exemption from the Centre.

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