Plants that didn’t follow procedures are short of coal: Susheel Kumar, Coal Secretary
Power plants are to be squarely blamed for the current coal stock crisis, Coal Secretary Susheel Kumar has said. A quarter of the country’s coal-based plants, including state-run generation companies and firms like Damodar Valley Corporation, Lanco InfratechBSE 1.23 % and GMR Group, are operating with critical coal stocks. The coal ministry had warned power plants in June of the critical coal stock position but power companies’ preferred to save money rather than build up stocks, Kumar told ET in an exclusive interview. Edited excerpts: The country claims to be coal surplus. Then why is there a shortage of coal at power plants? Loss of 4,000-mw electricity generation capacity from nuclear, wind and hydro plants added to the power demand. Th.....