NALCO shuts down CPP units due to coal shortage

Acute shortage of coal has pushed central sector National Aluminium Company (NALCO) to the throes of a crisis as it had been forced to shut down two units of its 960 mw captive power plant here, company sources said. The captive power plant, which was being provided 14,500 metric tonnes of coal from the Bharatpur colliery of the Mahanadi Coalfields (MCL) daily, was getting around 9,000 mt of coal and its stock had come down to barely 25,000 tonnes from earlier 1.20 lakh tonnes. "This stock may last barely a day or two which has forced us to source 100 mw from the Grid Corporation of Orissa Ltd," the sources said. If the crisis continued, it would have a serious bearing on the smelter which has 720 pots which required more than 600 mw of power continuously to keep them operational. On an average, 715 pots functioned in the smelter. NALCO's chaimrman-cum-managing director C R Pradhan has rushed to New Delhi to take up the matter with the Coal Ministry and the Railways for provision of rakes, the sources said. The profit making company had faced coal shortage last month as well following short supply of coal by the MCL which also affected the super thermal power station of NTPC. But the situation had been resolved following intervention of the government. MCL authorities said the production at Bharatpur mine, from which Nalco CPP's supply was sourced, was producing only 6,000 mt against the normal 35,000 mt. The current crisis, they said, stemmed from the stoppage of rakes supplied by the Railways for transportation of coal to NALCO.