BENGALURU: A significant decline in the quality of coal delivered to Karnataka in recent months has had an impact on thermal power generation in the state. This issue has arisen at a time when demand for power is rising due to a weak monsoon. Several thermal power stations have experienced consecutive glitches, and thermal units have been unable to generate their installed capacity.

Some units at the Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS) and the Ballari Thermal Power Station (BTPS) were shut down for weeks for repair and maintenance work. Senior officials from the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) have brought this issue to the attention of the state government. An engineer from KPCL stated, "The chief minister was informed during a review of the energy department two weeks ago. He instructed us not to use wet coal under any circumstance."

Officials have noted that the coal's quality deteriorates significantly from the time it leaves the mines to when it arrives at receiving points in Karnataka. An official explained, "At coal fields, Grade 10 coal is loaded, but the consignment we receive in Karnataka is of Grade 13/14. When rakes are loaded, the coal is certified by central laboratories controlled by employee unions. These labs lack transparency. We neither have access to them nor do we have any say about the quality of their tests. Their certification merely says Grade 10 coal. So, we do not know whether the entire testing process is rigged or if miscreants intervene en route."

Officials have further highlighted that the previous MD of KPCL, Ponnuraj, made a detailed presentation to Union coal minister Pralhad Joshi, but the concerns of Karnataka have yet to be addressed by the central government. KPCL officials explained, "While Grade 10 coal has a calorific value of 4,300-4,600 Kcal [kilocalories], Grade-13/14 quality coal has a calorific value of 3,400-3,700 Kcal. This affects power generation. Inferior quality coal produces more ash, which means we must spend more on disposing of the ash. Coal supplied to Karnataka has 35% ash content."

Energy minister KJ George stated that the department is working to resolve the issue promptly. "We have directed officials to strengthen vigilance and secure rakes through a CCTV network," he said. "Our boilers at thermal units are meant for good quality coal, and inferior quality has meant frequent repairs. This year, due to the untimely rain, coal had a lot of moisture content as well."