New Delhi: Government Monday informed Parliament that due to limited availability of indigenous coal, the gap between requirement and its availability is expected to be bridged through import.
"There is shortage of coal in the country... due to its limited availability, as per indications available so far, the gap between requirement and indigenous availability of coal is expected to be bridged through import," Minister of State for Power Bharatsinh Solanki said in Rajya Sabha.
He said during Question Hour that 35 coal-based generating units with an aggregate capacity of 2,102.5 MW have been identified for phased retirement up to March 2012.
These units are situated in states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal.
The minister informed the House that units for retirement during the 12th Plan and beyond up to the end of 2020 are to be identified in consultation with the private, state and Central sector generating companies.
Minister of Coal Sriprakash Jaiswal, in reply to a supplementary, said coal production for 2009-10 was more than what was produced in 2008-09.
"Increase in power demand has led to enhanced coal production. In future we hope to produce enough coal to address the needs of power plants in the country," he said.
Jaiswal, however, said, "As quality of coal is not good in our country, its import is allowed". In 2008-09, coal production was 44.48 million tonnes while in 2009-10 it was
49.87 million tonnes.
He said, "There is a proposal to close down unproductive and unviable underground mines in two subsidiaries of Coal India Ltd (CIL) -- Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL) and Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL). In ECL, out of 87 underground mines, 86 mines are loss-making.
"Exercise is being carried out for assessing the economic viability of underground mines. High loss making underground mines which cannot be revived or where mechanisation cannot be introduced, are proposed to be shut down".
PTI
First Published: Monday, April 19, 2010, 14:56