Hyderabad: Amid growing demand for power and the uncertainty over coal availability, the Telangana government has secured 5 lakh tonnes of high-grade coal for the Yadadri Thermal Power Station.
The development comes amid increasing power demand due to unseasonal heat. The coal, procured under window-2 auctions from Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) in Odisha and South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) in Chhattisgarh, is expected to be lifted next week.
According to the Telangana government, the consignment comprises grade-11 coal, which is superior to the G-18, G-13 and G-12 grades currently being supplied to thermal stations in the state.
As electricity demands continue to increase due to hot weather conditions with the impact of El Niño, the Congress government is focused on improving generation at YTPS, where coal constraints have prevented the plant from being able to work efficiently.
According to a report by The Times of India, the energy department and Telangana Genco are exploring methods to augment coal supplies for thermal stations across Telangana.
“Telangana Genco is also trying to enhance coal transportation from Naini coal block, about 15,000 to 20,000 tonnes daily to YTPS from the existing 12,000 tonnes. Genco has finalised tenders for coal transportation,” a senior official from Genco was quoted as saying by TOI.
With the procurement of coal, the government aims to meet power demands, which reportedly increased to 20,000 megawatts recently. Despite having a capacity to generate 7,000 Megawatts, the thermal power stations are currently generating 4,000-5,000 Megawatts.
Power demand in Telangana reached a record 20,003 MW on October 15, while demand in the southern discom area reached an all-time high of 12,532 MW.
