Coal crisis: No power cuts in Mumbai, for now

Electricity distributors have assured citizens of no power cuts in Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra as long as the coal supply situation does not deteriorate further. Mumbai's largest supplier, Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited, said it has adequate coal storage to keep the city energised, while Energy Minister Dr Nitin Raut assured uninterrupted supply to the rest of the state, including some city suburbs, through the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd. The minister, however, blamed the Centre-run Coal India Ltd for botching up the coal linkages to the generation units.

The coal crisis has been threatening to disrupt power supplies countrywide. Short-supplied by the domestic and imported market, several thermal generation units are either shut or producing less. In Maharashtra, four state-run units are shut because of coal shortage and three are under planned maintenance, thus creating a deficit of 3,000-3,500 megawatts (MW) daily. The gap is bridged in peak hours by increasing the hydroelectric output and buying power from other producers and power exchange at the cost of Rs 13 to Rs 20 per unit. Distributor Adani said it has adequate coal supply. Sources in Tata Power and BEST said they too were sitting pretty.

A well-lit Cuffe Parade in south Mumbai. File Pic

However, the state-run utility, one of Asia's biggest electricity suppliers, faced concerns. Addressing mediapersons at Mantralaya on Tuesday, Raut said the coal supply had improved slightly after Monday night. "Coal India should supply more quantity and better quality. Whatever we have been getting is substandard. We're getting only 30 per cent of the contracted gas. Our long-term suppliers CGPL and JSW have together stopped generating 1,000 MW," said Raut.

At 7 pm on Monday, the state peaked its total demand to 20,870MW of which the state distribution company provided 18,123MW. The state generation mitigated the deficit by increasing its coal-fired, gas-fired and hydro production to 8,119 MW. Raut said he has been pursuing the issue of inadequate and poor quality coal supply with Union coal and energy ministers since August.

"We have discussed this with every agency and the ministry. State company officials are stationed at the mines and loading centres. CIL's subsidiary Western Coalfields Limited has violated its mandate of giving us 65 per cent of its total production because it has been supplying only 35 per cent, and supplying us the fuel as a stopgap arrangement till our allotted mine in Chhattisgarh starts production," added Raut.

Surplus states black-marketing: Union ministry

The power ministry said on Tuesday that states were not supplying power to consumers and imposing load shedding, while also selling power in the power exchange at higher prices. The ministry's statement said that as per the guidelines for allocation of power, 15% of power from the Central Generating Stations is kept under "unallocated power" which is given by the Centre to needy states. "The responsibility to supply power to consumers is of distribution companies and they should first serve consumers. Thus, distribution companies should not sell power in the exchange and starve their consumers," the ministry said, without naming the states. In case of surplus power, the ministry said, states should inform the Centre so that this power can be reallocated to needy states. It warned that unallocated power of states that violate guidelines would be withdrawn.

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No. of state-run units shut at present due to coal shortage