The Ministry of Coal has asked Uttar Pradesh to expedite development of its 973-million-tonne Saharpur Jamarpani captive coal block in Jharkhand, saying the mine has remained non-operational for more than a decade despite being allotted to the state power utility specifically to meet the fuel requirements of its thermal power plants.
The Saharpur Jamarpani block, located in Dumka district, was allotted to Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (UPRVUNL) on August 13, 2015, under the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015.
“More than ten years since the allotment, no progress has been made towards operationalisation of the block, on account of a lack of requisite initiative by UPRVUNL,” the Coal Ministry said in a statement. As a result, the entire coal requirement of Uttar Pradesh’s power plants continues to be met by Coal India Ltd (CIL), the ministry added.
The ministry said 14 other coal blocks allotted for captive use in the power sector on or after the allotment of Saharpur Jamarpani have already been operationalised and commenced production for their respective end-use plants.
The intervention comes amid recent media reports of a severe power shortage in Uttar Pradesh attributed to disruption in coal supplies. The ministry, however, said coal availability at UPRVUNL’s thermal power plants did not indicate a critical constraint.
As of September 15, none of UPRVUNL’s thermal power plants was in the critical-stock category, it said. Coal stocks at the plants rose from 7.25 lakh tonnes on September 1 to 8.41 lakh tonnes on September 15.
CIL supplied an average of around 17.7 rakes a day to UPRVUNL’s power plants over the preceding 10 days, according to the ministry. It had also offered additional quantities under the road/RCR mode to generators, including UPRVUNL, on September 3 to further augment stocks.
The ministry, however, flagged unloading constraints at various UPRVUNL plants, saying these were resulting in periodic restrictions on rake placement by the Railways and limiting further augmentation of coal supplies.
It also pointed to relatively low utilisation of UPRVUNL’s thermal generation capacity. The current-month plant load factor of its thermal power plants stood at around 48 per cent, despite coal stocks having risen above 8 lakh tonnes.
“Improvement in generation would require the State to address operational constraints at its generating stations and ensure optimal utilisation of available coal stock,” the ministry said.
The ministry has advised Uttar Pradesh to prioritise early development of the Saharpur Jamarpani block to reduce dependence on external coal supplies and strengthen long-term fuel security for its thermal power plants.
