Coal crunch short-circuits 1,500-mw output at NTPC
31 Aug 2014 4:31 AM IST
The extended summer has added to the woes of the nation’s power sector, as increased demand for electricity and shortage in fuel supply have affected nearly 1,500-mw generation capacity at the plants of national electricity company NTPC. According to sources, around 1,500 mw of thermal power generation of the country's largest generator has been affected.
The company's five power projects are running at a lower capacity due to inadequate fuel supply from Coal India Ltd (CIL) even as demand soared in the central and northern parts of the country. The latest official data (August 26) from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) show that the public sector firm's Singruali plant has two days of stock and Rihand (Uttar Pradesh) and Jhajjar (Haryana) have just one day of stocks left.
To make matters worse, power production has been impacted at NTPC's Vindhyachal, Badarpur and Dadri generating stations. Two units (500 mw and 210 mw) of its Vindhyachal power station in Madhya Pradesh have been shut due to lack of fuel from Coal India Ltd.
Similar is the situation at its Badarpur station in Haryana and Dadri in Uttar Pradesh with 2x95 mw units and 490 mw unit respectively closed due to fuel scarcity. The Central Electricity Authority data also states that half of country's 100 thermal power plants are reeling under a fuel shortage mainly due to supply bottlenecks at Coal India Ltd's end.
The peak power shortfall — deficit in electricity supply when demand is at its maximum — in the northern region was 4,677 mw at 8 pm on August 28, according to the latest report from the Northern Region Load Despatch Centre (NRLDC).
The total electricity requirement of the region during that time was 50,314 mw of which 45,637 mw was met. The Northern Region Load Despatch Centre is the apex body to ensure integrated operation of the power system in the northern region. The country's peak power deficit for July stood at 3.9 per cent against 5.6 per cent in the same month last year.
The company's five power projects are running at a lower capacity due to inadequate fuel supply from Coal India Ltd (CIL) even as demand soared in the central and northern parts of the country. The latest official data (August 26) from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) show that the public sector firm's Singruali plant has two days of stock and Rihand (Uttar Pradesh) and Jhajjar (Haryana) have just one day of stocks left.
To make matters worse, power production has been impacted at NTPC's Vindhyachal, Badarpur and Dadri generating stations. Two units (500 mw and 210 mw) of its Vindhyachal power station in Madhya Pradesh have been shut due to lack of fuel from Coal India Ltd.
Similar is the situation at its Badarpur station in Haryana and Dadri in Uttar Pradesh with 2x95 mw units and 490 mw unit respectively closed due to fuel scarcity. The Central Electricity Authority data also states that half of country's 100 thermal power plants are reeling under a fuel shortage mainly due to supply bottlenecks at Coal India Ltd's end.
The peak power shortfall — deficit in electricity supply when demand is at its maximum — in the northern region was 4,677 mw at 8 pm on August 28, according to the latest report from the Northern Region Load Despatch Centre (NRLDC).
The total electricity requirement of the region during that time was 50,314 mw of which 45,637 mw was met. The Northern Region Load Despatch Centre is the apex body to ensure integrated operation of the power system in the northern region. The country's peak power deficit for July stood at 3.9 per cent against 5.6 per cent in the same month last year.
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