No loadshedding in state: CM

BENGALURU: A shortage of coal has affected power production in Raichur thermal power plant (RTPS) while the Bellary and Yeramarus plants have stock for six more days. With the chief minister and chief secretary’s letters to Union power and coal minister Piyush Goyal drawing a tepid response, chief secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar left for Delhi on Wednesday to sort out the issue.Sources said Bhaskar was working to break the deadlock between Western Coal Fields limited (WCL) and Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) to restore the “promised” coal stock to the latter. At the meeting, the Union coal secretary is said to have “assured” Bhaskar that the Centre would try to ramp up production from WCL and Singareni Coal Fields Limited (SCL) in Telangana to fulfil Karnataka’s coal requirements. It was also conveyed to Karnataka that coal shortage is a nationwide problem.“While promises have been made, we are yet to get a concrete response from the Centre. The government has placed before the Centre its demand for 9 lakh tonnes of coal which was promised to Karnataka by WCL. We have urged the Centre to make up for the shortfall from WCL and SCL,” an official said.“While RTPS has zero coal stock, both BTPS and YTPS have a coal stock for six days. Any thermal power plant, to be running on a consistent basis, needs not less than 15 days of stock. We have to wait for the Centre to release the coal lines,” said additional chief secretary P Ravi Kumar.The logistical concern, as conveyed to the state, is that railway lines to thermal power plants in Karnataka are congested and it would take time to clear the routes.However, sources told TOI that the crisis was due to coal companies giving “primacy” to the demands of “other states” over the contract signed with Karnataka. At present, it is said the government has shut down a couple of units at RTPS but is running BTPS and YTPS units to maintain consistent supply to meet the state’s power demand. The energy department has said it has enough generation capacity, along with hydro and solar power plants, to meet the state’s power demand.With a power crisis looming, CM and power minister HD Kumaraswamy instructed the energy department on Wednesday to maintain power supply across the state by using hydro and solar energy sources. The directive came amid reports that Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) was contemplating loadshedding due to a fall in power production.