The Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) has given its consent to supply 35.48 lakh tonnes of coal per annum to the new 800-MW unit (Stage-II) of the Sri Damodaram Sanjeevaiah Thermal Power Station (SDSTPS) situated near Nellore from May 1.
The MCL has entered into a Fuel Supply Agreement (FSA) to this effect with the A.P. Power Development Corporation Limited (APPDCL), the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) jointly floated by the AP-Genco and the IL&FS Limited, which owns SDSTPS.
Coal supplies
The Stage-II of SDSTPS was commissioned on March 10, and the additional coal supply by the MCL would facilitate the maintenance of enough coal stocks required to run the unit at its rated capacity, thereby meeting the burgeoning grid demand this summer.
A subgroup of the Ministries of Coal, Power and Railways is regulating the coal supplies to the Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) by continuously monitoring the stocks.
In a virtual meeting on Sunday, AP-Genco Managing Director K.V.N. Chakradhar Babu briefed Special Chief Secretary (Energy) K. Vijayanand about the allocation of coal by the MCL to SDSTPS, and other operational aspects of the TPPs.
Demand peaks
Mr. Chakradhar Babu said the daily energy demand had hit its peak at 247 Million Units (MU) on April 20, with an average demand of 232 MU per day during the month, and it was expected to reach 250 MU in the coming days. The Stage -II of SDSTPS was contributing 16 MU to the daily power generation in the State.
The AP-Genco and the APPDCL have a total installed capacity of 7,989 MW, including 5,811 MW of coal-fired power, for which they have FSAs with MCL (17.165 MMTPA) and Singareni Collieries Company Limited (6.88 MTTPA). Coal is being supplied by the MCL to SDSTPS in rail-sea-rail mode.
