New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): The Union Ministry of Coal has strongly refuted media reports attributing reduced power generation at Punjab’s thermal stations to fuel shortages from the Centre, clarifying that sufficient coal stocks remain available across all generation units in the state. Rejecting claims of central neglect, the ministry affirmed that Coal India Limited remains steadfast in maintaining uninterrupted supplies nationwide, noting that captive mine transfers and direct allocations have ensured comfortable stockpiles on the ground.
Refuting allegations of fuel scarcity, official data showed that coal reserves at Punjab State Power Corporation Limited’s three thermal plants—Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant at Lehra Mohabbat, Goindwal Sahib Thermal Power Plant, and Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant at Ropar—stood at roughly 117 percent of their normative requirements as of September 4. Despite this surplus position across the combined 2,300-megawatt fleet, PSPCL facilities operated at an average Plant Load Factor of merely 42 percent throughout August, indicating that operational lags rather than fuel deficits accounted for suppressed output. By contrast, privately run Nabha Power Limited in Rajpura recorded an operating efficiency of nearly 93 percent under identical supply frameworks, demonstrating stable supply lines.
The ministry also noted that the Centre proactively facilitated the movement of coal from PSPCL’s captive Pachhwara Central Coal Mine in Jharkhand to private independent power producers, permitting diversion of up to 50 percent of annual production to plants such as Talwandi Sabo Power Limited in Mansa and Nabha Power Limited, contingent upon statutory royalty clearances. Furthermore, central officials highlighted that independent power producers in Punjab have lagged in lifting previously allocated stocks from Coal India subsidiaries. Central Coalfields Limited and Bharat Coking Coal Limited had offered 8.5 lakh tonnes to private units earlier this year, of which barely four lakh tonnes have been transported from mineheads, prompting the ministry to urge power utilities to accelerate lifting and ramp up plant utilization to stabilize regional supply.
