Hyderabad:Telangana’s electricity demand crossed an unprecedented 20,000 megawatts (MW) on October 15, against the normal October requirement of about 15,000 MW, putting pressure on Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) and Telangana Power Generation Corporation (TGGenco) to maintain coal supplies to thermal power stations.
TGGenco’s closing coal stock stood at about 6.50 lakh tonnes, against an average daily consumption of 74,800 tonnes, sufficient for less than nine days. This is considerably below the mandated reserve of 21 days.
According to the Telangana State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC), peak electricity demand had reached 19,892 MW by September 30. During the first 15 days of October, the state recorded an average peak demand of 19,289 MW, indicating sustained higher consumption compared with last year.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy attributed the increased demand to El Nino-driven summer-like temperatures and the continuous operation of nearly 30 lakh agricultural pumpsets to irrigate standing crops.
He said electricity demand had increased by about 14,000 MW over the past 13 years, including 6,000 MW to 7,000 MW in the last two years. Several neighbouring states were also facing power shortages, he said.
The 4,000-MW Yadadri Thermal Power Station (YTPS), which requires about 34,000 tonnes of coal daily, reportedly had stocks sufficient for only five days. The plant requires 14 million tonnes of G-9 grade coal annually. As Singareni has limited capacity to produce this grade, the government has arranged supplies from the Naini coal block in Odisha, in addition to local coal.
Coal stocks at units V and VI of Kothagudem and at the Bhadradri and Kakatiya thermal power stations were sufficient for about 10 days, while Kothagudem unit VII had reserves for about 12 days.
Singareni has been diverting a substantial portion of its coal production to thermal power plants in Telangana, reducing allocations to neighbouring states.
SCCL and TGGENCO have drawn up a plan to supply 75,500 tonnes of coal daily to the state’s thermal power stations.
Union coal minister G. Kishan Reddy responded positively to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s request for additional coal supplies from Coal India to YTPS to address the power shortage.
The pressure on thermal power generation has also increased following deficient rainfall, reduced storage in major reservoirs and a decline in hydel generation.
Reservoirs in the Krishna basin have 72 per cent less water than last year, while those in the Godavari basin have recorded a 42 per cent decline. Overall water storage has fallen to about 200 thousand million cubic feet (tmc), against the usual 462 tmc at this time of the year.
Officials said reduced hydel generation had forced power utilities to procure electricity from outside the state at higher costs.
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