Nalco shuts down two power plants

National Aluminium Company (Nalco) has been forced to look for alternative coal supplies from Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) and Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) in a desperate bid to tide over the ongoing coal crisis which has led to emergency shutdown of two units located at the 960 MW power plant in Angul, Orissa. The power plant provides electricity to Nalco’s aluminium smelter. "The two power units remain shut down. The Railways have assured us of additional rakes and we are now trying to get coal from CCL and BCCL to meet the gap in supplies. Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) supplies have gone up in the last few days though it is still unable to supply the entire linkaged amount of 15,000 tonnes per day," a senior Nalco official told ET. The company’s move follows assurance given by Railways’ to provide additional wagon rakes for transportation of coal from CCL and BCCL mines. Nalco’s chairman cum managing director, CR Pradhan, had met Member Traffic Railway Board in Delhi earlier this week in a bid to find a way out of the deepening crisis.