In the wake of the sharp demand in power, country’s leading PSU NTPC has geared up to meet the coal demand from domestic as well as from overseas sources to meet the increasing demand of thermal power plants.
This year power consumption has registered an increase of 23 %, as a result coal stock position in some plants is critical, said a senior officer of the Power Ministry adding that the government is still making all efforts to meet demand as per the grid requirements.
He said NTPC has been arranging coal under flexible utilization of coal policy at stations where stock is critical. The PSU was continuously coordinating with Coal India and Railways for augmenting coal supply at critical stations and diverting rakes wherever required.
It is further augmenting 2.7 Lakh MT import coal left out from the contracts placed earlier. It has also put in operation Darlipalli Unit#2 (800 MW) and would start its commercial operation from September 1, said a senior officer of the Power Ministry. The plant is a pit-head station, and the coal is being fed from captive mines of NTPC (Dulanga).
NTPC has also increased coal production from all its captive mines to meet coal demand. Power Ministry has also requested states to schedule off take from the gas Stations in order to plan for making arrangements for gas-power plants.