What happened: Ministry of Coal counters “inadequate coal” claims for Punjab
The Ministry of Coal clarified that media reports blaming reduced power generation in Punjab’s thermal plants on inadequate coal supply from the Centre do not present the complete picture. The Ministry stated that adequate coal was made available to Punjab’s power plants and that Coal India Limited (CIL) remains committed to uninterrupted coal supply for power generation nationwide, including in Punjab.
Central Government support for coal movement to Punjab IPPs (captive mine route)
The Ministry said the Central Government facilitated coal movement to Independent Power Plants (IPPs) in Punjab after captive mine production began. Coal supply from PSPCL’s captive Pachhwara Central Coal Mine to IPPs was enabled subject to fulfillment of the statutory payment obligation to the State of Jharkhand.
The Ministry also stated that utilisation of coal from the Pachhwara Central Coal Mine by IPPs not owned by PSPCL is already allowed up to 50% of annual production, after meeting the requirements of Specified End Use Plants (Specified End Use Plants are projects eligible under prescribed end-use conditions). The Ministry specifically cited IPPs including Nabha Power Limited (Rajpura) and Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (Mansa).