State Power Ministers on Tuesday requested Union Minister of State for Power (Independent Charge) Jyotiraditya Scindia to take up the issue of inadequate coal supply with the Prime Minister and seek his early intervention.
At the 6th Conference of Power Ministers of States and Union Territories here, the States expressed concern over fuel uncertainty affecting the power sector and urged the Centre to augment the availability of coal and gas by increasing indigenous production and creating a suitable policy framework.
They said availability of adequate coal was key for sustaining power supply and accelerated capacity addition in a sector dominated by thermal power.
Without availability of coal quantity, as committed by Coal India Ltd, the power sector faced a bleak and uncertain future, which was a matter of grave concern for all the stakeholders and required urgent remedial action, they said.
They said this would affect not only the value chain of the power sector – generation, transmission and distribution – but also the exposure of funds given to this sector by financial institutions.
Considering this had a direct impact on the financial health of the distribution sector and the Government’s efforts in achieving the goal of providing sustainable electricity to all consumers, the States wanted the Prime Minister’s intervention, an official statement said.
The conference also deliberated on several issues related to providing affordable and adequate power to consumers and making electricity accessible to all consumers, particularly in inhabitations that are not grid-connected.
Resolutions were made for timeline implementations of Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana, Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme, distribution reforms, planned and secured transmission system, as well as energy efficiency initiatives.