State power firm to buy C’garh coal mine
Amid the ongoing power crisis, the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (MahaGenco) will acquire a coal mine at Garepalma in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district. MahaGenco expects to start coal production by mid2023 and to achieve annual production of 29 million metric tonnes by 2027-28. Coal will be available at Rs 1,000 per tonne against Rs 6,000 to 7,000 per tonne procured from Coal India and its subsidiaries. MahaGenco will pay royalty to the Government of India. It will transport the coal to its generation plants in Maharashtra and it expects to partially tackle the coal supply issue faced by its power plants.
Besides, MahaGenco will also import coal in a bid to meet the gap between demand and supply which is affecting the power generation of its plants. This was confirmed by the DCM Ajit Pawar on Friday. As reported by the Free Press Journal, the MahaGenco had decided to import 20 lakh tonnes of coal from Indonesia way back in November 2021, even before the centre recently allowed states to import coal to meet their requirements. Of the 20 lakh tonnes, MahaGenco has issued tenders for the import of 6 lakh tonnes which will be available in phases from May and June for its power generation plants. Coal will be imported at Rs 10,000 to Rs 11,000 per ton from Indonesia.
As far as Garepalma coal mine is concerned, the energy minister Nitin Raut along with MahaGenco CMD Sanjay Khandare early this week met Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and requested him to accord the long pending forest clearance by his government for the mine development. Congress president Sonia Gandhi reportedly intervened and ultimately
Baghel-led Congress government accorded the forest development which will help MahaGenco to complete the land acquisition and start mining from the middle of 2023.
The MahaGenco with its installed thermal generation capacity of 9,330 mw is struggling to get adequate coal supply from Coal India and its subsidiaries.
Against the requirement of 1,38,710 tonnes of coal for these plants to operate at the plant load factor of 85%, they have daily coal stock ranging between 1,24,686 tonnes and 1,29,000 tonnes. MahaGenco could supply 7,200 mw during peak hours and if the coal supply improves it would continue to generate more especially during peak hours.