Sat, Jul23,2011
By Ashish Roy & Mazhar Ali,TNN
NAGPUR: Power generation company Mahagenco is doing a rethink on use of washed coal due to poor quality of coal supplied by the washeries and in light of several irregularities in washing operations. The company had stopped supply of coal to all the seven washeries for three weeks. However, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who holds the power portfolio, asked Mahagenco to temporarily start supply to the four supplied by WCL from Thursday.
Pawar will take the final decision on use of washed coal. He has convened a meeting of washery operators and officials of Mahagenco and WCL on Monday.
Mahagenco sources told TOI that coal supply to seven washeries, which supply washed coal to the company, had been stopped from July 1. The seven washeries are - Bhatia International, Gupta Coal, Indo Unique Flames, Aryan Beneficiaries (Chandrapur) - supplied by WCL and Global Minerals, Aryan Beneficiaries (Korba) and Spectrum Coal and Power - supplied by SECL.
Coal is washed to improve its quality. The coal from mines contains stones, other minerals and other contaminating materials. These cause boiler tube leakages and reduce efficiency of power plants. Mahagenco washes 17 metric tonne (MT) of the total 40 MT coal it uses.
Mahagenco sources said that around six lakh tonne coal was lying with the washeries. Hence it stopped issuing delivery orders (DOs) to coal companies. These companies provide coal to the operators only on receipt of DOs from Mahagenco.
Sources further said that massive irregularities had come to light in some washeries. It was found that they were selling coal allotted for washing in open market. "The rates of coal are very high in open market. Coal having 36% ash content is fetching Rs 4,500 per tonne. We rarely receive washed coal consignments on time," a generation company official said.
The official further said that Mahagenco had also found that some washery operators had apparently managed to replace samples before they reached the laboratory in Nagpur. "In one case the washed coal had 40% ash content when tested at the power station. However, it showed 26% ash content at our Nagpur lab. All these things have made Mahagenco to do a rethink on washed coal."
Mahagenco's bid to not use washed coal is being hampered by WCL. Genco managing director Subrat Ratho had asked WCL to arrange transport of raw coal it supplied to washeries, directly to it. However, WCL expressed its inability to immediately enhance the infrastructure and make transport arrangements to accomplish the job and asked Genco to make arrangements on its own.
Meanwhile, washery operators have protested that they were not able to meet Mahagenco's standards for washed coal because the coal supplied by the mining companies was of very poor quality.
(sourced TOI)
By Ashish Roy & Mazhar Ali,TNN
NAGPUR: Power generation company Mahagenco is doing a rethink on use of washed coal due to poor quality of coal supplied by the washeries and in light of several irregularities in washing operations. The company had stopped supply of coal to all the seven washeries for three weeks. However, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who holds the power portfolio, asked Mahagenco to temporarily start supply to the four supplied by WCL from Thursday.
Pawar will take the final decision on use of washed coal. He has convened a meeting of washery operators and officials of Mahagenco and WCL on Monday.
Mahagenco sources told TOI that coal supply to seven washeries, which supply washed coal to the company, had been stopped from July 1. The seven washeries are - Bhatia International, Gupta Coal, Indo Unique Flames, Aryan Beneficiaries (Chandrapur) - supplied by WCL and Global Minerals, Aryan Beneficiaries (Korba) and Spectrum Coal and Power - supplied by SECL.
Coal is washed to improve its quality. The coal from mines contains stones, other minerals and other contaminating materials. These cause boiler tube leakages and reduce efficiency of power plants. Mahagenco washes 17 metric tonne (MT) of the total 40 MT coal it uses.
Mahagenco sources said that around six lakh tonne coal was lying with the washeries. Hence it stopped issuing delivery orders (DOs) to coal companies. These companies provide coal to the operators only on receipt of DOs from Mahagenco.
Sources further said that massive irregularities had come to light in some washeries. It was found that they were selling coal allotted for washing in open market. "The rates of coal are very high in open market. Coal having 36% ash content is fetching Rs 4,500 per tonne. We rarely receive washed coal consignments on time," a generation company official said.
The official further said that Mahagenco had also found that some washery operators had apparently managed to replace samples before they reached the laboratory in Nagpur. "In one case the washed coal had 40% ash content when tested at the power station. However, it showed 26% ash content at our Nagpur lab. All these things have made Mahagenco to do a rethink on washed coal."
Mahagenco's bid to not use washed coal is being hampered by WCL. Genco managing director Subrat Ratho had asked WCL to arrange transport of raw coal it supplied to washeries, directly to it. However, WCL expressed its inability to immediately enhance the infrastructure and make transport arrangements to accomplish the job and asked Genco to make arrangements on its own.
Meanwhile, washery operators have protested that they were not able to meet Mahagenco's standards for washed coal because the coal supplied by the mining companies was of very poor quality.
(sourced TOI)
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