NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): The Delhi government on Thursday, 28th April warned of a possible setback in providing uninterrupted electricity supply to the city including Metro trains and hospitals because of the shortage of coal in the country.
Delhi’s Power Minister Satyendar Jain held an emergency meeting to review the current situation and has requested the Centre to ensure sufficient coal availability to power plants that supply electricity to Delhi.
“Due to disruption of power supply from Dadri-II and Unchahar power stations, there may be a problem in 24-hours power supply to many essential institutions, including Delhi Metro and Delhi government hospitals,” a government statement read.
Currently, 25-30 per cent demand of electricity in Delhi is being met through these power stations, and they face a shortage of coal, Jain said. He said the government was monitoring the situation closely and making every possible effort to ensure that people did not face power outages in some areas of the capital.
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“These power stations play an important role in preventing blackouts in some parts of Delhi and are also essential to ensure the continuous supply of electricity to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, hospitals and people in the upcoming summer season,” the minister added.
National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC)’s Dadri-II and Jhajjar (Aravali) were built mainly to meet the power requirement of the national capital. But there is very little stock of coal left even in these power plants, the statement further said.
The Dadri-II, Unchahar, Kahalgaon, Farakka and Jhajjar power plants supply 1,751 megawatt (MW) of electricity per day to Delhi. The capital gets the maximum supply of 728 MW from Dadri-II power station, while it receives 100 MW from the Unchahar station. According to the daily coal report of the National Power Portal, all these power plants face an acute shortage of coal.
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