ANGUL | Dec 29, 2016: One of the two 600 mw units of independent power producer, Jindal India Thermal Power Plant Limited (JITPL), Kaniha remains closed for the last few days due to want of coal. The Kaniha independent power producer (IPP) is among the four power producers out of 27 companies that signed memorandum with State Government which have started energy supply. It supplies power to Odisha and other states as per the power purchase agreement.

The power plant, located near NTPC-Kaniha has two 600 mega watt units. According to a plant official, it requires about 15,000 tonne coal per day to run the plant on full load. It procures coal from nearby Kaniha coalmines and Talcher. While supply from Talcher is continuing, coal dispatch from nearby Kaniha mines has stopped for the last some days. It draws 5000 tonne to 10000 tonne coal on auction basis per day from Kaniha mine besides taking about 5000 to 6000 tonne from Talcher to run the plant.

Now, Kaniha mine is facing problems in land acquisition for which its daily production has come down from normal 40,000 tonne to barely 15,000. It is feared that the 15 MT annual capacity mine might shut down within a few months in absence of land to operate.

All high level meetings, even at Chief Secretary level, have failed to bail out the coalmine. “Whatever is produced we give to NTPC-Kaniha. There is no coal left for auction because of which JITPL suffers like other consumers. The auction will resume once the coal output picks up,” said a coal official.

Official sources in JITPL said, in such a situation they cannot draw coal from Talcher which is 30 to 35 km away for economic and logistic reasons. It says that now they get only 5000 to 6000 tonne from Talcher to operate one unit that is less than the requirement for which their plant is running not in full load.

(Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/)