Tamil Nadu has coal stock, no worry over outages, says Electricity Minister

Thangamani, who met Goyal demanding additional rail coaches to import coal for Tamil Nadu from Odisha, said that the Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu were playing politics with unconfirmed reports on coal stocks.

Due to a sudden dip in wind energy production, the state witnessed minor power outages on September 9 and 10 and there were power cuts for about half-an-hour. The same was attended to the very next day by resuming the thermal power substations, which were under maintenance, he said. Tamil Nadu, for the past three months, had been maintaining a coal stock of 15 days, but due to the rain in Odisha, the supply was affected for all the states, including Tamil Nadu, the minister explained. 

Currently, wind energy has picked up and about 2,000 MW is generated and the coal stock arrival has increased after CM Edappadi K Palaniswami wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The stocks in Mettur and North Chennai and Tuticorin thermal power station are sufficient for three to six days. Further, to increase the coal storage levels, the State has appealed to the Railways to increase the number of rakes from 8 per day to 16, Thangamani said.

Further, the Railway Minister has agreed to provide 16 rakes per day to attain the storage of 15 days. The State has also insisted that 20 rakes be provided so that the stocks accumulation is achieved at the earliest and the Railways was positive towards to Tamil Nadu’s demand, the Electricity 

Minister said. 

Not only Tamil Nadu, neighbouring Andhra Pradesh as well as Gujarat and Maharashtra too face shortage of coal due to the short supply from Odisha. The Opposition parties in these states do not play petty politics, but the DMK, left with no other options, has been spreading rumours on power cuts in power surplus Tamil Nadu, he said.

“With the spike in wind energy, Tamil Nadu had partially suspended operations of a few thermal stations and this was misreported in a section of the media and I am ready for a media tour to thermal stations so that the scribes can collect the facts,” the minister said.

Chief managing director of Tangedco Vikram Kapur and state energy secretary Md Nasimmudin also accompanied the minister.