‘MINE’ BLOWING

Several states, including Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi and Tamil Nadu, have raised concerns over blackouts. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, warned that the national capital “could face a blackout” in the next two days if coal supplies to power plants do not improve.

Punjab has already imposed rotational load shedding at several places due to the severe coal shortage at thermal power plants. The plants are left with coal stock of up to five days, an official of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited was quoted by PTI.

The supply routinely drops during monsoon as the mines get flooded, but the demand remains high especially with the growing economy. In October, as the demands drop, the stockpiles will start growing again.

On Saturday, Union Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi had said that the increase in the international price of coal and heavy rainfall in the country this year contributed to its shortage. "If you compare with the past many years, coal production and dispatch have been the highest in September and especially in October. In another three to four days, things will be alright," Joshi was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

An inter-ministerial sub-group led by the Coal Ministry has been monitoring the coal stock situation twice a week, it said in a statement on Saturday. The ministry has assured that they are making efforts to send 1.6 metric tonnes of coal a day in the next three days and will try to reach 1.7 MT a day.

The government listed four reasons for the depletion of coal stocks at power plants -- the unprecedented increase in demand for electricity due to revival of the economy, heavy rains in coal mine areas, increase in the price of imported coal and legacy issues such as heavy dues of coal companies in certain states like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, UP, Rajasthan and MP.