Depleting coal stock leads to crisis in thermal power stations in TN

The state government-run Power corporation has already approached both Coal India Ltd as well as the Ministry of Power to overcome this crisis that is looming large over the state. 

According to the Tangedo officials, the state has coal stock for only four days of generation of power and this would lead to an unprecedented crisis in power generation and the department has requested Coal India to supply a minimum quantity of the raw material for power generation. 

There has been a shortage in  the coal supply since the last week of September in Tamil Nadu and Tangedo's five power stations in Mettur, Tuticorin and North Chennai are reeling under shortage of coal, the raw material for power generation in the thermal sector. 

The consumption of coal, according to a senior Tangedo official, on Wednesday was 60,265 tonnes in all the thermal power stations, the supply was only 36,255 tonnes. The balance stock, according to the official, was only 1.92 lakh tonnes and will last only for four days at the maximum if half the present quantity of coal is used for power generation. 

The state's hydropower generation has increased to 12 million units on Wednesday and renewable energy sources are also being tapped to generate power. 

The Tangedo official said the department was expecting a supply of coal in the days to come and the state government has already requested the Union Ministry of Power to provide more coal to the state as the main power generation in the state is through thermal power, the raw material of which is coal. 

It may be noted that the Tangedo power generation per day through Thermal power is 4320 MW and the coal requirement is 62,000 tonnes per day. 

Sources said that China is facing a power crisis and the country is tapping on coal sources from across the globe and hence the shortage of coal in India.