New Delhi: The Ministry of Coal on Sunday rejected reports that inadequate coal supplies from the Centre were responsible for reduced power generation at Punjab’s thermal plants, saying the state has sufficient coal stocks.
The ministry said PSPCL’s three thermal plants, with a combined capacity of 2,300 MW, had coal stocks at around 117% of the normative requirement as of September 4. Despite this, their average Plant Load Factor (PLF) was only 42% in August.
In contrast, Nabha Power Limited’s Rajpura plant recorded a PLF of around 93%, supported by adequate Coal India Limited (CIL) supplies.
The ministry also said CIL subsidiaries had offered coal to Punjab-based private power plants, but the lifting of the allocated coal had lagged. It urged the plants to improve coal lifting and PSPCL to enhance generation from its own facilities.
The Centre reiterated its commitment to ensuring uninterrupted coal supplies for power generation in Punjab and across the country.
