New Delhi, April 29 (Bureau) Expressing concern over the impending threat of power shortage in the national capital, Delhi Power Minister Satyendar Jain said on Friday that one day of coal reserve is left at electricity generation plants. He also appealed to the Centre to ensure a continuous supply of coal at the earliest so that there is no restriction on the power supply. Jain claimed that 21 days of coal stock should be maintained at power plants. However, many are only running with a coal reserve of one day. “Peak demand of 6000 MW electricity met in Delhi, only 1 day of coal left in many power plants. In normal circumstances, the reserve of coal should be more than 21 days,” he said.
“Delhi Government is somehow managing the situation but the larger situation in the whole country is very serious. Need to take quick & concrete steps to overcome the crisis,” the minister added. Jain also claimed that the logistics issue from Indian Railways in coal supply has fuelled the shortage of coal across the country. “There is a severe shortage of coal in the whole country. The biggest reasons behind this are the lack of railway rakes and the acute shortage of coal supply. Due to this acute shortage of coal, all the power plants across the country are facing problems regarding power generation,” he said. “Earlier, there were 450 rakes in the trains carrying coal, which have been reduced to 405, need to immediately increase the number to deal with the crisis,” he explained. The minister also said that the situation in Delhi could be serious if immediate attention is not given to the situation. “Produced electricity cannot be stored, electricity is generated daily in the power plant.
Therefore, for the backup of electricity, it is necessary to have a backup of the fuel that helps produce electricity. Normally there is a backup of coal worth more than 21 days to generate electricity at the power plant. All the power plants that provide electricity to Delhi have only one day of coal left. The power plants cannot work like this. Under any circumstance, there must be at least 7 days of coal storage so that the power plants can operate at their full capacity,” he stated. The minister appealed to the Centre to take appropriate and immediate steps in resolving the coal shortage. “It is the responsibility of the central government to supply coal. We appeal to the Central Government to ensure a continuous supply of coal across the country. Simultaneously, railway rakes should be increased,” he said.