Chhattisgarh rain fury leads to coal shortages in Guj

The 15-coal fired power plants across Gujarat have been receiving very limited supply of the fuel from Chhattisgarh due to the mining disruptions caused by the rains for the past several days, an official from Gujarat Urja Vikas said Tuesday.

The supply has been hit so badly that the state is getting only 10,000-12000 tonne coal every now as against the daily requirement of 40,000-45,000 tonne, he added.

Heavy downpour in the past several days across Chhattisgarh has affected coal production, especially the open cast mines due to water accumulation. The tribal-state is the main coal supply source for Gujarat--one of the few states that is power surplus.

However, poor coal supply has not yet affected power generation in the state as "we have huge stock now," the official said, adding good rainfall in the state has brought down demand, especially from farmers who consume 30-40 percent of total generation, while the total demand has come down to a low 11,000 mw per day now.

"This has helped the state keep higher coal stock, as we have shut most of the coal-fired plants. Another factor helping is the 4,000 mw of additional wind power generation," the officials said.

Gujarat sources most of its coal from Chhattisgarh, and the second biggest source market in Nagpur in neighbouring Maharashtra.