Lok Sabha Question No. 1753 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-05
Subject: Coal Supply to Thermal Plants
Ministry: POWER
Asked by: Thiru Dr. S Jagathratchakan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF POWER

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1753 ANSWERED ON 05.12.2024

## COAL SUPPLY TO THERMAL PLANTS

1753.  SHRI S JAGATHRATCHAKAN:

Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has taken cognizance of the fact that all major metros like  Delhi,  Chennai,  Mumbai,  Kolkata  and  Bengaluru  face  electricity  shortage  due  to lack  of  adequate  coal  supply  to  thermal  plants,  redevelopment  and  infrastructure projects and if so, the details thereof; and

(b) the details of the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to ensure the adequate electricity supply to meet the growing demand in the country?

## A N S W E R

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF POWER

(SHRI SHRIPAD NAIK)

(a) : The  coal  stock  available  at  coal  based  power  plants  in  the  country  increased from 36.95 Million Tonnes (MT) (sufficient for about 13 days) as on 31.03.2023 to 50.69 MT  (sufficient  for  about  18  days)  as  on  31.03.2024.    The  coal  stock  available  at  the power plants as on 30.11.2024 is about 39.9 MT, which is sufficient for about 14 days at 85% Plant Load Factor (PLF). There has been no reporting of electricity shortage in the country including the major metros like Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru.

- (b) : The following steps are being taken by Govt. of India to ensure Electricity supply to keep up with demand growth:
- (i) Installed generation capacity has increased from 2,48,554 MW in March 2014 to 4,54,452 MW in October 2024.

Ministry  of  Power,  in  consultation  with  States,  has  envisaged  a  plan  to  add thermal capacity of a minimum 80,000 MW by 2031-32. Against this target, 29,200 MW Thermal Capacity is already under construction while 51,520 MW is at various stages  of  planning  &  development.  In  addition,  13,997.5  MW  of  Hydro  Electric Projects  and  6,050  MW  Pumped  Storage  Projects  (PSP)  are  under  construction. 24,225.5 MW of hydro electric projects and 50,760 MW of PSP are under various stage of  planning  and  targeted  to  be  completed  by  2031-32.  Also,  7,300  MW  of Nuclear Capacity is under construction and 7,000 MW is under various stages of planning and approval.

........2.

- (ii) 1,98,970 circuit kilometer (ckm) of transmission lines, 7,53,799 MVA  of Transformation  capacity  and  82,790  MW  of  Inter-Regional  capacity  has  been added since 2014 with capability of transferring 1,18,740 MW from one corner of the country to another.

Further, As per the National Electricity Plan, about 1,91,474 ckm of transmission lines and 1274 GVA of transformation capacity is planned to be added (at 220 kV and above voltage level) during the ten year period from 2022-23 to 2031-32.

- (iii) Waiver of ISTS charges on transmission of electricity generated from Solar, Wind, Pumped Storage Plants and Battery Energy Storage Systems.
- (iv) Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs) and Energy Storage obligations Trajectory till 2029-30.
- (v) Construction  of  Green  Energy  Corridors  and  putting  in  place  of  13  Renewable Energy Management Centres.
- (vi) Setting up of Ultra Mega  Renewable  Energy Parks to provide land and transmission to Renewable Energy (RE) developers for installation of RE projects at large scale.
- (vii) India  has  committed  to  augment  non  fossil  fuel  based  installed  electricity generation capacity to over 5,00,000 MW by 2031-32.
- (viii) Under  RDSS,  projects  worth  Rs.  2.77  lakh  crore  for  distribution  infrastructure works and smart metering works have been sanctioned at National level.
- (ix) Under Power System Development Fund (PSDF), a total of 188 projects have been approved for improvement of State, Regional and National Power System.
- (x) Introduction of Real Time Market (RTM), Green Day Ahead Market (GDAM), Green Term  Ahead  Market  (GTAM),  High  Price  Day  Ahead  Market  (HP-DAM)  in  Power Exchanges.  Also,  DEEP  Portal  (Discovery  of  Efficient  Electricity  Price)  for  eBidding  and  e-Reverse  for  procurement  of  short-term  power  by  DISCOMs  was introduced.

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