Talcher: Three units of NTPC-Kaniha power plant were shut down due to a stir in the Talcher coalfield.
As a result, NTPC has drastically curtailed power supply to the neighbouring states.
As against 3,000 MW power production per day the NTPC power plant is generating only 1,000 MW. The power supply to Odisha also has been seriously hit, NTPC sources said.
“The strike has crippled coal supply to the power station. The plant has only 50,000 tonne of coal stock against the daily requirement of 55,000 tonne to run all the six units,” the sources said.
A senior NTPC official said three out of six units have been shut down and power generation has been curtailed due to coal crisis.
The NTPC, he said is trying to get coal from other CIL subsidiaries and Singareni coalfield to run the three units to meet the situation.
Not only NTPC power station at Kaniha but also other power stations across the nation are crying for coal. Among these GMR power plant, JSPL and JITPL power plants located at the periphery of the coalfield are facing coal crisis.
“We have received distress call from many power stations due to strike at Talcher. I had arranged four rakes of coal from IB valley field, three for NTPC-Kaniha and one for Nalco power plant. We are also making efforts to end the strike by initiating dialogue with the agitators,” said MCL CMD BN Shukla.
In the wake of the Bharatpur coalmine accident where four died and nine were rescued by locals, the BJP unit led by the state secretary Kalandi Samal shut down all the nine coalmines at Talcher and prevented MCL officers from attending office work.
They are demanding among other things safety in coalmines, a policy to give compensation to accident victims and high level enquiry into the mishap.
The BJP held demonstration at all the coalmines Sunday and decided to intensify the stir Monday.
UNI
