NCR may face blackout as power plants short of coal

New Delhi: Delhi power minister Stayendar Jain on Friday said the coal stock at some power stations in the National Capital Region (NCR) has dipped to an “alarming” level. He added that if it is not replenished at the earliest, the national capital could be staring at “black-out” situations.

Mr Jain said he has already written to the Union power minister, Piyush Goyal, apprising him of the situation and seeking his intervention in the matter.

“It has been brought to my notice that coal-based generating stations of NCR, i.e. Dadri I and II and BTPS (Badarpur Thermal Power Station), are facing coal shortage. At present some of them have coal stock availability for only one or two days,” he said in the letter. Mr Jain said there is a shortage of coal stock at Jhajjar power station too.

“There is no surplus coal at these stations. If the stocks are not replenished, there could be a black-out situation in Delhi,” Mr Jain said, adding, “This could become a serious problem if not addressed timely.”

According to sources, the situation was brought to the notice of the Delhi government by power distribution companies.

In his letter to the Union power minister on May 17, Mr Jain also said, “It has also been gathered that this shortage is due to non-availability of transportation rakes/wagons with the Indian Railways.”

The minister has requested Mr Goyal to “intervene and resolve this crisis-like situation at the earliest” in the interest of the consumers in Delhi and the power sector.

“As you are aware, the summer season is at its peak and during summer season Delhi experiences very high power demand. This year, the peak demand of Delhi is expected to touch 7,000 MW. With the rising temperatures and increasing power demand, this coal stock position is very alarming and needs immediate attention in order to avoid load shedding or any major grid incidents,” Mr Jain said in the letter.

The Delhi power minister minister urged Mr Goyal to issue necessary instructions to the ministries/offices concerned to not only resolve the current situation at the earliest, but also to take steps to avoid such situations in the future.