AIPEF seeks PM intervention on coal imports

The All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to direct the power ministry to withdraw its directions to states to expedite coal imports for thermal power plants.AIPEF—in a letter sent to the Prime Minister—has stressed that the Ministry of Power must be directed to withdraw its orders and directives to the states/state gencos, forcing them to expedite coal imports that were not required/justified in the wake of the coal ministry's reply in Parliament on July 25, an AIPEF statement said.AIPEF has said that in this context now the extra cost of imported coal must be borne by the power ministry.The AIPEF letter stated that on December 7, 2021, the Ministry of Power took the decision to import 10% of coal as the domestic supply was inadequate.On April 28, 2022, the Ministry of Power directed that thermal stations and state gencos must import coal in time bound manner, 50% by June 30, 2022; 40% up to August 31, 2022; and 10% up to October 31, 2022.On May 18, 2022, the power ministry issued a direction (order), stating that if blending with domestic coal is not started by June 15, 2022, then the domestic allocation of the concerned defaulter thermal power plants will be further reduced by 5%.