CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Electricity Board Chairperson and CMD J Radhakrishnan on Tuesday said a fire that broke out in the imported coal yard at the Ennore thermal power station was contained with minimal damage and without affecting power generation.
The fire was reported around 3 pm on Monday in a section storing imported coal, which is prone to spontaneous combustion due to its high calorific value. Firefighting operations were launched immediately and continued through the night, with the blaze brought under control by early morning. Cooling and monitoring operations are continuing to prevent any residual internal combustion.
Massive firefighting effort deployed
Radhakrishnan, along with Govind Rao, Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Power Generation Corporation Limited, undertook an inspection at the site to review fire quenching operations. He issued directions to ensure complete extinguishing of the fire, continuous monitoring, and strict adherence to safety protocols, while emphasising coordination among all teams to prevent recurrence.
A large-scale firefighting effort was mounted, with 11 fire engines and 19 water tankers deployed. Fire tenders and support vehicles were mobilised from Manali, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Ennore, Tiruvottiyur and Vallur, along with in-house firefighting systems. Officials said desalination facilities within the plant ensured uninterrupted water availability, dismissing reports of any shortage.
Damage minimal, supply intact
Radhakrishnan said that preliminary assessment indicated that the damage was confined to the top layer of the coal heap and restricted to less than 5% of the stock, though detailed evaluation is under way. Officials said the affected area was contained within a limited portion of the yard, preventing the spread of fire to other sections.
The coal yard has a storage capacity of about 10 lakh tonnes, with around 6 lakh tonnes currently available, including nearly 1 lakh tonnes of imported coal. Indigenous coal stock sufficient for about 25–28 days is available from Mahanadi and Singareni collieries, while imported coal stock sufficient for around 75 days is in place. A steady pipeline of about 10 ships continues to ensure regular replenishment.
“No loss of life or injury has been reported, and power generation continued uninterrupted throughout the incident,” Radhakrishnan said, adding that the swift and coordinated response by Fire and Rescue Services, Metro Water and plant personnel helped avert a major accident.
Continuous vigilance and preventive measures are being maintained, officials said.
Senior officials present during the inspection included Director (Generation) Rajeswari; Chief Engineer, NCTPS-I Muthukrishnan; Chief Engineer, NCTPS-II Balamurugesan; Chief Engineer, NCTPP-III Sethuraman; Superintending Engineer (Mechanical) Venkatnarayana; Superintending Engineer (Coal) Ravichandran; SLWO T. Senthilkumar; and DFO, Ambattur Loganathan and team, along with other engineers and personnel from Fire Services and Metro Water.