The Ministry of Coal issued a clarification refuting media reports attributing Punjab's power crisis to inadequate coal supply, stating that Coal India Limited (CIL) has maintained adequate coal availability for Punjab's power plants. The Ministry emphasizes that timely lifting from CIL and higher utilization of PSPCL's captive coal are key to sustaining power generation in the state.
Central Government support has enabled coal movement to Punjab's Independent Power Plants (IPPs) from PSPCL's captive Pachhwara Central Coal Mine since production commencement, subject to fulfilment of statutory payment obligations to Jharkhand. IPPs not owned by PSPCL, including Nabha Power Limited (Rajpura) and Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (Mansa), are permitted to utilize up to 50% of annual production from the captive mine after meeting specified end use plant requirements.
Coal supply to Punjab's IPPs remains sufficient with NPL receiving average supply of 5 rakes/day against consumption of 4.3 rakes/day over the last three days, and TSPL receiving 5 rakes/day against consumption of 3.8 rakes/day. Through September 2026, average supply has been 4.9 rakes/day for NPL and 4.1 rakes/day for TSPL, exceeding consumption rates.
However, PSPCL's Pachhwara Central mine shows significant despatch challenges with production at 83.67% of annual target but despatch at only 68.44% for the period April 2026 to 11 September 2026, resulting in a stock build-up of approximately 3.21 lakh tonnes. Despite PSPCL's plants (Guru Hargobind TPS, Goindwal Sahib TPP, and Ropar TPS with 2,300 MW combined capacity) maintaining coal stock at 114% of normative requirements, their Plant Load Factor during September 2026 was only around 59%.
CIL subsidiaries have offered additional coal to Punjab-based IPPs through various mechanisms: CCL offered 5.0 lakh tonnes under RCR mode on 30 March 2026, of which only 4.1 LT has been booked and 3.2 LT lifted; BCCL offered 3.5 LT to NPL, with only 1.7 LT booked and 1.1 LT lifted. Additional allocations under the Flexibility Policy in Q2 include 2.30 LT to NPL from BCCL and 3.0 LT to TSPL from CCL, though lifting against these allocations has not commenced.
The Ministry notes that breakdowns at IPP power plants require close monitoring by the State of Punjab to sustain power generation. While CIL continues measures to augment coal availability through RCR, Flexibility Policy, and rail-based arrangements, timely booking and lifting of already offered coal remains critical for improving coal receipts at NPL and TSPL.