New Delhi: M.K. Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday to deliver 72,000 tonnes of coal per day to ensure the state's uninterrupted electricity supply, news agency IANS reported.
"I request you to direct the Ministry of Coal to ensure the supply of 72,000 MT coal per day as per the FSA (Fuel Supply Agreement) at Paradip and Vishakhapatnam ports. Only this step can enable us to maintain an uninterrupted power supply in the State and hence I solicit your personal intervention in this regard," Stalin writes in a letter addressed to PM Modi.
Stalin stated that adequate coal from the Talcher mines in Odisha is critical for the thermal power plants in Tamil Nadu.
"In this regard, the current daily receipt of coal for Tamil Nadu's units is only 50,000 MTs, against the coal requirement of 72,000 MTs," Stalin said.
Stalin stated that while coal output is sufficient to satisfy the increased summer electricity demand, it is not being transferred to ports owing to a lack of rakes on the railways.
"This, in turn, has resulted in the coal stocks of our State's generation plants reaching critical levels. In the case of TANGEDCO, 22 railway rakes per day are required for moving 72,000 MTs of daily allotted coal to Paradip and Vishakhapatnam ports. However, on an average, only 14 rakes per day are currently being provided by Railways," Stalin said.
"Owing to the shortage of domestic coal, the state power utility TANGEDCO has to import coal at high prices and also to buy power at high rates in energy exchanges. Further sufficient power is not available at energy exchanges," Stalin said.
(With IANS Inputs)