Tangedco to import 20L tonnes of coal between Nov and March

Tamil Nadu receives coal mostly from Ib Valley in Odisha, Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh, and Raniganj in West Bengal. However, supply from these coal mines has drastically reduced in the last couple of months. Bad weather was a reason for the shortfall in supplies fromIb Valley.

A Tangedco issued tender stated that delivery of the imported coal will be between November 2019 and March 2020 at Kamarajar port at Ennore and VO Chidambaram port at Tuticorin. A total of 26 shipments will supply 20 lakh tonnes that will come in Panamax vessels. Tangedco has the right to change the port of call to either Kamarajar port or VOC port.

The total coal required for Tangedco’s thermal power plant is approximately 72,000 metric tonnes per day which is 20 rakes per day. Each rake is made up of 58 wagons and has a capacity of 3,750 tonnes. Thermal power stations in the state source the domestic coal from Talcher and Ib Valley in Odisha besides coal fields in West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.

Electricity Minister P Thangamani had called on Union Finance Minister, Power Minister and Coal Minister over the short supply of coal to the State. “In the first quarter of the fiscal year, the thermal power plants run by Tangedco have received only 60 per cent of their allotted coal supply. Since May to September being the high wind season, we were able to manage the power situation with the short supply of coal. The thermal power plants are being kept in standby to evacuate wind energy,” a senior Tangedco official said, adding once the wind power season ends, the thermal power stations have to be operated to its full capacity to meet the power requirement of the State.

The official said that imported coal would help the state thermal power plants overcome the shortfall from the domestic supply of coal.