Bengaluru: Just when Karnataka appeared to have averted a power crisis by securing adequate coal stocks despite a delayed monsoon and weak hydel generation, torrential rains have thrown up a fresh challenge. Heavy rain in key coal-mining regions has disrupted mining and slowed coal transport, raising concerns over fuel supplies to the state’s thermal power plants as electricity demand continues to rise.With the delayed monsoon keeping irrigation pumpsets running to protect standing crops, the state continues to witness near summer-like electricity demand. Daily power consumption is now approaching 300 million units (MU), forcing the govt to depend heavily on thermal power to bridge the gap until hydropower generation picks up.Sources in the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) said heavy rain in Telangana and parts of Maharashtra has affected coal supplies to Karnataka. It slowed coal extraction and also waterlogged stockpiles and disrupted rail movement. According to KPCL officials, the number of coal rakes arriving in Karnataka has dropped from 11 rakes a day to just five or six.Anticipating a delayed monsoon and sustained power demand, the govt had built up coal reserves at thermal stations. However, the heavy rain in coal-producing regions has disrupted fresh supplies, threatening to strain the fuel chain at a time when thermal power remains the backbone of the state’s electricity network.As of Wednesday, Karnataka’s three thermal power stations were generating about 105 MU of electricity every day. Solar plants contributed 34 MU, while wind power added 40 MU. The state also received 72 MU from the central grid, while Udupi Power Corporation Ltd. (UPCL) generated another 23 MU. Until reservoir inflows improve and hydropower stations return to full-scale generation, thermal plants are expected to remain the state’s primary source of reliable electricity.We have enough stock: KPCLKPCL officials said there’s no immediate threat to power production. “We have sufficient coal stock at stations. At the Raichur Thermal Power Station, engineers have been instructed to blend newly received coal with the existing stock to maintain uninterrupted generation. Coal stored for more than a month gradually loses its calorific value, so blending is a standard operational practice,” said Rajendra Cholan, IAS, managing director of KPCLKPCL clarified that one unit of the Yermarus Thermal Power Station is currently undergoing annual maintenance and is expected to resume operations shortly.
