Tangedco-owned thermal power stations have a total coal requirement of 28.16 million tonnes for 2021-22, according to data provided by the Centre.
The Mettur Power Stations I and II, which have a capacity of 1,440 MW, have coal requirement of 7.18 million tonnes in 2021-22, according to data shared by Union Minister for Power R.K. Singh in the recently-concluded monsoon session of Parliament.
The Thoothukudi power plant, which has a capacity of 1,050 MW, has coal requirement of 4.64 million tonnes for 2021-22, as per the data shared by Mr. Singh in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
Tangedco has a generating capacity of 1,830 MW in north Chennai and coal requirement of 16.34 million tonnes.
Total power availability
Tangedco-owned power plants have a capacity of 4,320 MW. Including the capacity of the Central generating stations and long-term and medium-term power purchase agreements, among other sources, the total power availability is over 18,500 MW.
The current average power demand in Tamil Nadu is estimated to be 14,500 MW to 15,500 MW.
The impact of the missing coal on generation has to be closely watched. However, Tangedco officials have ruled out any problems as of now, since the peak power demand is yet to cross 15,000 MW. The maximum demand met in Tamil Nadu was 16,151 MW on April 3, 2019.
Last week, Electricity Minister V. Senthilbalaji said 2.38 lakh tonnes of coal were missing from Tangedco’s North Chennai Thermal Power Station (NCTPS) at Athipattu in Tiruvallur district. He also flagged similar issues at the Thoothukudi and Mettur power plants, adding that an investigation was on.
