As power shortage looms again due to the lack of coal supply, the Andhra Pradesh (AP) power utilities have devised a short term plan to purchase 500 MW to 1,500 MW everyday during the peak hours (5 am to 8 am and 6 pm to 12 am) and round the clock depending on the demand, from July to October, 2022.
The Southwest monsoon is expected to hamper coal mining and transportation across the country, hence the preparedness to procure power from the exchanges, Energy Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy was told by officials in a review meeting on Thursday.
They explained that though India had a mining capacity of over 1,500 Million Tonnes (MT) of coal last year, the total production was only about 780 MT. The coal reserves were not likely to be sufficient for thermal power generation and the possibility of keeping adequate coal stocks looked bleak.
