Coal shortage hits production at Vijaywada thermal power plant

VIJAYAWADA: Is Dr Narla Tata Rao Thermal Power Station (NTTPS) or Vijayawada thermal power plant on the verge of a total shutdown? The answer might well be in the affirmative with substantial decline in coal supplies to the power station at Ibrahimpatnam on the outskirts of the city. Normally, the plant has to follow the three-month coal buffer stocks norm, but is now able to maintain coal reserves that would last for only half a day.If there are any supply issues even for a day, the power plant has to shut, forcing Vijayawada and Guntur cities to plunge into darkness.
While it is said that there are enough stocks of coal at the mines that supply the raw material, non-availability of railway rakes at NTTPS is said to be the main bottleneck. Due to shortage of coal, two units have already been shut down and one of them has scaled down its operation.
All seven units generate 1,720 mW or 42,000 million units (MU) of power daily. Due to coal shortage, NTTPS is now able to produce only 15,000 MU to 20,000 MU and remaining demand is being met by the solar and wind energy.
Two units of 210 mW capacity each have been closed due to poor coal supply. The 500 mW unitis underutilised.
While the plant needs at least 30,000 tonnes of coal in a day to generate total capacity of power, the plant has been receiving about 15,000 tonnes to 20,000 tonnes.
“The coal fields have sufficient stocks but it appears that there is a shortage of rakes with the railways ,” chief engineer, NTTPS, M Padma Sujatha told TOI.