CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to supply 72,000 tonnes of coal per day to ensure the state's uninterrupted power supply.
In a letter to Modi, Stalin wrote: "I respectfully urge that you direct the Ministry of Coal to ensure the supply of 72,000 MT coal per day at the Paradip and Vishakhapatnam ports in accordance with the FSA (Fuel Supply Agreement). Only by taking this action will we be able to ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply in the state, hence I am requesting your personal assistance in this matter." Stalin said the provision of adequate quantity of coal from Talcher mines in Odisha is significant for the thermal power units in Tamil Nadu. "In this context, the present daily coal receipt for Tamil Nadu's plants is barely 50,000 MTs, despite a coal demand of 72,000 MTs," Stalin stated.
While coal production is sufficient to satisfy increasing summer electricity demand, it is not being transferred to ports due to a shortage of rakes on the railways, Stalin said. “This, in turn, has resulted in the coal stockpiles of our state's power facilities reaching catastrophic levels. TANGEDCO requires 22 railway rakes per day to transport 72,000 MTs of daily assigned coal to the ports of Paradip and Vishakhapatnam. Railways, on the other hand, currently deliver only 14 rakes per day on average "Stalin stated the following.
"TANGEDCO, the state power company, is forced to import coal at exorbitant prices and acquire power at high rates in energy exchanges due to a lack of native coal. Furthermore, there is insufficient power during energy exchanges "Stalin said.
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