Coal news and updates

No scope for new coal linkages for power projects: Jaiswal

December 3: There is no scope for granting new coal linkages or letters of assurance (LoAs) for the 12th Plan power projects as subsidiary companies of Coal India Ltd (CIL) are already reporting negative coal balance, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal recently said.

The ministry has received a total of 75 requests from 16 states for allocation of coal linkages and CIL's subsidiaries have issued a total of 176 LoAs for coal supply, covering the capacity of about 108,000 MW, he said.

During the last three years of the 11th Plan, capacity of 26,000 MW had been commissioned and the balance capacity of about 82,000 MW is likely to be commissioned during the 12th Plan period and beyond, the minister said.

"Since LoAs amounting to more than 80,000 MW for setting up power projects already exist and subsidiary companies of CIL are reporting a negative coal balance, there is prima facie no scope for the grant of new coal linkages," Jaiswal said.

He said the ministry has received 13 requests from Maharashtra, 9 from Uttar Pradesh, 5 each from West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam and Andhra Pradesh, 4 each from Tamil Nadu and Chattisgarh, 3 requests from Punjab, 2 from Haryana and 1 each from Gujarat, Kerala and Orissa.