NTPC Coal Worries Unlikely To End Soon

Indian state-owned power producer NTPC’s woes over shortages of coal may not end soon. Though the company is importing 12.5 million tonnes of coal
over the next 12 months, going by the power utility’s requirement, this, too, is likely to fall short and impact generation capability. Also, uncertainty over an increase in coal supplies, from its largest supplier Coal India, could likely compound to the utility’s woes, say people familiar with the development.

NTPC, which has an installed capacity of 30,644 mw, is planning to add 3,300 mw of power in 2009-10 alone. While its current annual requirement of coal totals 150 million tonnes, if its proposed projects are added, the coal requirement would increase by at least 125 million tonnes. NTPC declined to comment on the story.

The state-owned utility is facing an acute shortage of coal as procedural and infrastructural bottlenecks have delayed its captive coal mining plans, while an increased demand globally has inflated the cost of acquisition of coal mines overseas.

NTPC has commissioned a 500-mw unit at Kahalgaon in June 2009 and in the current fiscal, it is expected to commission the 1,320-mw Sipat unit, 500 mw at Korba and 980 mw at Dadri. “By 2012, NTPC’s coal needs will shoot up by at least 125 mt a year,” said a company executive.

Of its annual requirement of 150 million tonnes, Coal India supplies 114.7 million tonnes every year. But the utility isn’t certain about increased supplies from CIL. “In a situation of general shortage, it may not be appropriate to supply coal to any consumer beyond 100% (of its requirement), even if the consumer is NTPC,” CIL chairman Partha Bhattacharyya told ET.

Of the installed capacity, 24,395 mw is generated from NTPC’s coal-fired plants, making coal the most critical fuel for its growth. Lack of coal supply is already costing the company. Though NTPC recorded a 11.6% revenue growth in the quarter ended September 2010, on a quarter-on-quarter basis, its revenue fell 10.2%, due to generation losses at some of its plants, including Farakka and Kahalgaon.

The gross generation for the September quarter was up 7% to 50.4 billion units, but dropped almost 10% sequentially. The Farakka unit requires 35,000 tonnes of coal daily, but gets only about 7,000 tonnes, due to poor coal linkage from the Lalmatia mines in Jharkhand. “The unit runs at an average plant load factor of 67% which is much below NTPC’s average PLF of 87.4%,” said the source. A plant load factor in a power generation utility is a measure of its capacity utilisation.

The Kahalgaon unit also suffers from lack of coal supply. According to a person close to the development, it runs at a PLF of 61.5% on an average.

However, it’s not just the lack of coal that is affecting NTPC’s generation capacity; the quality of coal is equally responsible. “The coal that comes from captive mines are very poor (of ‘F’ and ‘G’ grade), which affects the plants’ performance and also causes boiler tube failure frequently,” said the source.

Coal India chairman, Mr Bhattacharyya, agrees. “Quality of coal in India is intrinsically poor. The only solution lies in setting up large number of washeries for supplying washed coal,” he added. Although, CIL expects washing of coal to significantly improve quality, it may take time.

Also, NTPC’s plans to develop the five mining blocks allotted to it are lagging behind schedule. “Of the five, production from Pakri-Barwadih mine in Jharkhand may start this year, though it was supposed to begin in 2007,” added the NTPC executive.

Source: Economic Times