MahaGenco boss blames power cuts on poor quality coal

Under fire for the massive power cuts, the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (MahaGenco) came out with all guns blazing, blaming others and circumstances for their decreased power output.

MahaGenco managing director Subrat Ratho blamed the poor quality of coal supplied by Western Coalfields Ltd (WCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd, which comes under the Union ministry of coal. The Nagpur-based WCL coal is responsible for generating a third of MahaGenco’s installed capacity of 9,737 MW.

In a presentation to the media, MahaGenco said rocks and mud had degenerated the quality of coal, affecting generation. Moreover, rains made the mud slushy, messing up the entire stock of coal (pure coal absorbs little moisture).

This meant that the coal did not fall when the wagon was tipped over but had to be unloaded manually, a time-consuming process. “This slows down the entire process of unloading and feeding the thermal plant, which in turn hits power generation,” Ratho said.

Ratho warned that a price hike was imminent. “We are being forced to import high-quality coal, which is blended with the low-quality domestic coal to ensure better power generation. To improve the quality of coal for better generation, we may have to import more,” he said.