Ministry of Coal Clarifies Punjab Coal Supply Situation
The Ministry of Coal has issued a clarification refuting media reports that attributed reduced power generation at Punjab's thermal plants to inadequate coal supply from the Centre. The Ministry asserts that adequate coal has been made available to Punjab's power plants, with Coal India Limited (CIL) remaining fully committed to ensuring uninterrupted coal supply for power generation across the country, including Punjab.
Central Government's Support Measures
The Central Government proactively facilitated coal movement to Independent Power Plants (IPPs) in Punjab since the commencement of PSPCL's captive mine production. Specifically, supply of coal from PSPCL's captive Pachhwara Central Coal Mine to IPPs was enabled, subject to fulfilment of statutory payment obligations to the State of Jharkhand. Additionally, utilization of coal from the Pachhwara Central Coal Mine by IPPs not owned by PSPCL, including Nabha Power Limited (Rajpura) and Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (Mansa), is already allowed up to 50% of annual production after meeting the requirements of Specified End Use Plants.
Current Coal Stock and Plant Performance
PSPCL operates three thermal power plants with a combined capacity of 2,300 MW: Guru Hargobind TPS (Lehra Mohabbat), Goindwal Sahib TPP, and Ropar TPS. As of September 4, 2026, coal stock at PSPCL's plants stood at approximately 117% of the normative requirement, indicating more than adequate coal availability. Despite this comfortable stock position, the average Plant Load Factor (PLF) of PSPCL's plants during August 2026 was only around 42%, indicating that low generation cannot be attributed to inadequate coal availability. In contrast, Nabha Power Limited, a Punjab-based IPP, achieved a PLF of around 93% during the same period, backed by adequate coal supplies from CIL sources.
IPP Coal Lifting Performance
Coal India subsidiaries have proactively offered coal to Punjab-based IPPs, but booking and lifting have been suboptimal. Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) offered 5 lakh tonnes of coal to NPL and TSPL on March 30, 2026 under RCR mode, of which only approximately 4.1 lakh tonnes has been booked and around 3.1 lakh tonnes lifted so far. Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) offered 3.5 lakh tonnes of coal to NPL, against which only around 1.3 lakh tonnes has been booked and 0.98 lakh tonnes lifted so far. The Ministry emphasizes that timely lifting of coal by IPPs, together with improved generation performance at PSPCL's own plants, is critical to optimizing power generation in Punjab.