Nashik: Heavy rainfall in various parts of the country has led to a drop of about 30,000 tonnes in the daily coal supply from different state-owned coal companies to the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Ltd (Mahagenco). However, power production at the seven thermal power stations of Mahagenco remains unaffected due to the power utility's strategic inventory planning.

Mahagenco officials reported that the daily coal supply to the power utility has decreased to around 90,000 tonnes from the usual 1.2 lakh tonnes. Monsoon rains often inundate the mines, making mining activities challenging during this season. Despite the reduced coal supply, Mahagenco's power production has not been impacted as they had ensured an inventory of more than 16 lakh tonnes in the past six months.

Most of the coal supply to Mahagenco comes from Western Coalfields, headquartered in Nagpur, along with other Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) companies based in Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.

Currently, Mahagenco's power generation stands at about 4,700MW, with over 4,500MW generated from the seven thermal power stations. The remaining power generation comes from hydro and solar plants.

The daily coal requirement for power generation is slightly more than 90,000 tonnes, which is currently supplemented by the stock from the inventory. This buffer stock ensures that there is no coal shortage even if the daily supply of coal further decreases.

CMD P Anbalagan and the Mahagenco management had efficiently planned and created the buffer stock before the onset of the summer season, ensuring that the power plants do not face coal shortages. Additionally, the decrease in power demand in the state has eased the pressure on power plants to increase production.

Currently, the daily power demand in the state (excluding Mumbai) is around 17,000MW. In addition to its own power generation, Mahagenco also receives power from different private power firms and the Central pool.