Indian Railways To Transport Coal To Power Plants

The principal chief operations managers of all zones of Indian Railways have been instructed to man operations control rooms 24X7 and to prepare hourly bulletins for the ministry as well as the general managers.

Indian Railways are preparing to transport coal to power plants amid the coal shortage at thermal power projects. The coal shortage is being treated as an “emergency” by the national transporter internally. On Monday, the number of coal rakes loaded per day rose to around 440 – 450 from approximately 430 at the time when the coal shortage came to light.

Around 1.77 million tonnes of coal were transported, which rose from 1.48 million tonnes of coal on the same day in the previous year. The national transporter is prepared to reach around 500 rakes per day. A large number of rakes of coal are coming from coal fields in the country’s eastern part and such areas serviced by the East Central Railway zone among others.

A large number of rakes of coal are coming from coal fields in the country’s eastern part and such areas serviced by the East Central Railway zone among others.

The report further said in a huddle with the Power and Coal Ministries, the Railway Ministry has assured that for Indian Railways, carrying capacity would not be a constraint and that the national transporter was ready to transport as much coal to powerhouses as needed, according to a report. The report further stated that the situation will not get back in a day or two. However, the ministry is ready to meet the rising demands of transportation of coal to power plants. Indian railways loading and unloading are tracked and the movement of empty racks are also monitored properly to ensure efficient utilisation of the resources. 

It is expected that in the month of November, the situation would be better as there is usually a dip in the power needs.

It is expected that in the month of November, the situation would be better as there is usually a dip in the power needs.

According to data from the Central Electricity Authority of India, around 80 per cent of the coal-fired plants in India are in the supercritical” stage which implies that the stocks can run out in less than five days. States including Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, and Bihar are already experiencing power cuts lasting up to 14 hours. Maharashtra has shut down 13 power plants and urged people to use electricity sparingly. In Punjab, three power plants have stopped production, with scheduled power cuts lasting up to six hours at a time.

In a tweet, Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Sunday that there was enough stock of the fuel to meet the demand for 24 days. “[I am] assuring everyone that there is absolutely no threat of disruption in power supply.”