Mahagenco purchases additional 13 lakh tonnes of coal from 3 companies

To provide enough coal backup during the monsoon, Maharashtra State Power Generation Co Ltd (Mahagenco) has signed deals with three companies to purchase an additional 13 lakh tonnes of coal for its seven power plants.

The decision to buy more coal from Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL), 5 lakh tonnes from South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL), and 6 lakh tonnes from Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) was made after it was determined that the daily supply from coal companies would begin to decline in June for three months.

According to an official, approximately 7 lakh tonnes of extra coal have already arrived in Maharashtra, with the remainder arriving by the end of next month.

Since the country's coal crisis, a team led by director (mines) Purushottam Jadhav has been preparing a strategy for unhindered coal availability to thermal power plants (TPSs) under the leadership of Mahagenco CMD Sanjay Khandare.

An official revealed that by the end of June, they want to have a coal inventory of at least 15,000 lakh tonnes. Between June and August, Mahagenco will be able to satisfy the coal requirements of its TPSs thanks to this backup and daily supplies from coal businesses.

Mahagenco now receives roughly 1.4 lakh tonnes of coal per day, compared to a demand of around 1.3 lakh tonnes. Mahagenco has also begun the process of importing 20 lakh tonnes of coal from Indonesia in stages.

The official also revealed that the daily coal supply drops by at least 10,000-15,000 tonnes from June to August as mining activities become difficult owing to rain.

As a result, this additional coal will be used as a backup to ensure that there is no shortage of coal at the seven thermal power plants during the monsoon.

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