Coal India, arms set up control rooms to track coal stocks with power plants

11 September 2017

In an effort to tide over fuel scarcity at thermal power plants, state run Coal India and its subsidiaries have set up control rooms to monitor coal stocks at power plants on a 24×7 basis and give priority to units that are severely short supplied.

“This is an effort to rush coal to thermal power stations facing critical stocks and avoid the stock crisis at any of the linked power stations,” said Gopal Singh, who took over as chairman of Coal India on September 1. “It is our commitment to consumers to address their problems on the priority basis and provide feedback on the course of action taken. We plan to monitor production and dispatch of coal closely.”

The control rooms will be manned by executives from production and marketing departments, who will be in touch with top executives to resolve issues arising in any crisis situation. According to the Central Electricity Authority, there were 12 plants with critical coal stocks on August 31, of which 10 had super critical stock positions. Super critical stocks refer to less than three days stocks at pit head plants and less than four days for non-pithead plants.

Flooding of mines and roads, less imports, curtailment of coal receipts by power plants and additional power generation led to a coal demand-supply gap. “Coal India is stepping in to meet the demand of the consuming sector with increased supplies,” said an executive. The monitoring plan primarily aims at coordination with railways, power utilities and private power producers for rushing coal to generating units facing critical stocks and avoid stock crisis at any of the linked power stations, he added.

“In the back end, it will encompass coal production planning and emphasis on transportation from mines to rail heads as well as other dispatch points. Movement of rakes… condition of roads, crushing arrangements and hassle free functioning at weighing facilities will also be monitored,” the executive said.

Source-ET