Coal-based power generation registers 9% increase in April
NEW DELHI: Coal-based power generation rose 9.2% to 1,02,529 million units ( MU) in April compared to the year- ago period. This comes even as the country is facing a severe power crisis.
The thermal power generation was 93,838 MU in April 2021, according to official data.
The thermal power generation was 2.25% more than in March 2022, when it was 1,00,276 MU, it said.
The overall power generation last month increased 11.7% to 1,36,565 MU against 1,22,209 MU in the year-ago period, it said.
Total power generation has also increased in April 2022 to 1,36,565 MU from 1,33,584 MU in March 2022, according to official data.
The coal ministry had earlier said that the current power crisis is mainly because of a sharp decline in electricity generation from different fuel sources and not because of non-availability of domestic coal.
In an interview to PTI, coal secretary A.K. Jain had attributed the low coal stocks at power plants to several factors such as heightened power demand due to the boom in the economy post pandemic, early arrival of summer, rise in price of gas and imported coal and a sharp fall in electricity generation by coastal thermal power plants.
Several measures have already been taken to enhance the total power supply in the country, he said.
The gas-based power generation which has fallen drastically in the country, aggravated the crisis.
The coastal thermal power plants are now generating around half of their capacity because of the sharp rise in the prices of imported coal. This reduction in generation of power has resulted in a gap between the demand and supply of electricity.
The secretary had said that states located in the South and West have been dependent on imported coal.
When domestic coal is dispatched through wagons/ rakes to the plants in these states to make up for the loss in imported coal generation, the turnaround time of rakes is more than 10 days, which creates rake availability issues for other plants.
Since last year, the railways has loaded more coal than ever, even by curtailing rake supply to other sectors to meet the demand of power sector.