CM, Deputy CM review power

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy ordered the Energy department officials to initiate measures to procure coal from Mahanadi Coalfields and Coal India. The Chief Minister was serious about the stoppage of power generation at the Yadadri Thermal power generation centre due to coal shortage.

At a high level review of the Energy sector here on Wednesday, the CM instructed Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka to hold a meeting with Union Coal Minister Kishan Reddy to address the coal crisis for power generation in the State. The TGGENCO officials were ordered to commence power generation in full installed capacity from the Yadadri Thermal Power Station before Dussehra festival.

During the meeting, CM Revanth Reddy sought the details of the supply of quality coal to the thermal power units in the State. The officials briefed the CM that G9 grade coal is required for generation at the Yadadri Thermal Power Station and the Singareni did not have the coal blocks to produce G9 coal and that there is no possibility of producing G9 coal from Singareni in the near future also.

The CM raised questions on the construction of the Yadadri Thermal Power Station using a specific technology requiring only G9 quality coal which was unavailable in Singareni. The construction of the Yadadri Thermal Power Station far away from the pithead (adjacent to coal mines) and the additional financial burden placed on the State due to coal supply logistics was reviewed in detail in the meeting. The officials informed the CM that Yadadri Power Station was constructed at a distance due to political reasons during the BRS rule and lack of availability of coal was the reason for the failure to achieve full-scale power generation at the Yadadri Thermal Power Station.

As per the official reports, the additional financial burden on the State government to supply coal to the thermal centre was ₹40,000 crore.