The Centre has assured uninterrupted coal supply to Telangana’s Yadadri Thermal Power Plant after reduced production at Singareni Collieries Company Limited pushed the facility towards a possible shutdown and raised concerns about a power shortage in the state, Union minister G. Kishan Reddy said on Friday.
Kishan Reddy said Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka had spoken to him on Thursday, seeking coal allocations from Coal India. Following the request, officials were directed to arrange linkages from Mahanadi Coalfields or Western Coalfields and begin supplying coal immediately, he said.
The assurance comes as Telangana’s power system faces pressure from higher demand and tighter thermal generation conditions. Kishan Reddy said hydropower generation had fallen sharply across the country because of El Nino conditions, while electricity demand had increased by 16 to 18 per cent. He said the share of thermal power in generation had consequently risen from 74 per cent to 83 per cent, increasing pressure on coal production and transport.
The minister said he was reviewing coal availability with the Union railway and power ministers. According to him, 496 railway rakes were being loaded each day to transport coal to power plants, compared with a normal level of about 350 rakes. He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was reviewing coal production, transportation and power-plant stocks twice a day, while incentives had been provided to around four lakh Coal India workers to maintain production during holidays.
The immediate issue at Yadadri reflects the dependence of thermal power stations on both fuel availability and the logistics network needed to move coal. The plant’s supply was affected after reduced production at Singareni, the state-owned coal company that supplies fuel to power facilities in Telangana. The Centre’s proposed arrangement would bring coal from outside the state through Coal India linkages, according to the minister’s statement.
Kishan Reddy also rejected reports that 46 lakh metric tonnes of coal had gone missing from Singareni, saying the issue involved an error in book adjustment. He alleged that Telangana Genco had accumulated unpaid dues for power and coal supplied by Singareni. He put the outstanding amount at between ₹59,000 crore and ₹60,000 crore under the present state government, while saying it had stood between ₹26,000 crore and ₹29,000 crore when the previous government left office. These figures and allegations were made by the minister during his interaction with reporters.
He said three new coal blocks had been allotted to Singareni after a 15-year gap and that efforts were under way to secure one more block. The minister also said he was reviewing coal supply regularly with the railway and power ministries. The next operational milestone is the immediate arrangement of coal linkages from Mahanadi Coalfields or Western Coalfields for the Yadadri plant.
