Poor-quality coal affecting power generation in Maharashtra: Vijay Wadettiwar tells Assembly

Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Monday alleged in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly that the supply of poorquality coal has adversely affected power generation in the state contributing to outages at power plants and concerns over electricity availability during periods of high demandThe issue was raised during a discussion on a starred question relating to power generation electricity demand and operational challenges faced by staterun generating unitsWadettiwar claimed that several power generation units operated by Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited MahaGenco experienced technical problems at a time when electricity consumption reached record levels during the summer seasonDemand for action against coal suppliersThe senior Congress leader alleged that substandard coal supplied to power plants was one of the key reasons behind technical failures and disruptions in electricity generationHe urged the state government to take strict action against suppliers responsible for providing coal that does not meet quality standardsAccording to Wadettiwar accountability must be fixed to ensure that power generation facilities receive fuel of the required quality and efficiencyHe also demanded that companies repeatedly supplying poorquality coal be barred from participating in future contractsBlacklist suppliers providing substandard coal Wadettiwar demanded during the Assembly proceedingsChief Minister acknowledges coal quality concernsResponding to the issue Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis acknowledged that coal quality has affected electricity generation in MaharashtraHe informed the House that the state government had already taken up the matter with the Union government and discussed concerns regarding coal supplies with the Union Coal MinisterAccording to Fadnavis Maharashtra has highlighted the need for stricter monitoring mechanisms including proper sampling and quality assessment procedures to ensure that coal supplied to power plants meets prescribed standardsSafeguards to be included in future tendersThe Chief Minister said the government plans to introduce additional safeguards in future coal procurement processes to prevent recurrence of such issuesHe indicated that measures would be incorporated into tender conditions to discourage suppliers that fail to maintain quality standardsThe proposed safeguards are also intended to prevent entities that exploit procurement systems from participating in future bidding processesThe government believes that stronger quality control measures could help improve plant efficiency and reduce disruptions in electricity generationQuestions raised over future power capacityDuring the discussion Wadettiwar also sought clarification on the governments longterm strategy to meet Maharashtras growing power demandHe asked whether the state planned to establish new highcapacity power generation units based on advanced technologies to strengthen electricity production capabilitiesThe question comes amid rising energy consumption across Maharashtra driven by industrial growth urbanisation and increasing demand during peak summer monthsChandrapur supercritical project under evaluationIn response the government informed the Assembly that an inspection and evaluation process is currently underway for an 800 MW supercritical power project in ChandrapurOfficials indicated that the proposed project forms part of efforts to enhance power generation capacity using more efficient technologySupercritical power plants are generally considered more efficient than conventional thermal power units because they consume less coal per unit of electricity generated while reducing emissionsThe proposed Chandrapur project is expected to play an important role in meeting future electricity requirements if it receives the necessary approvals and progresses as plannedThe discussion highlighted concerns over fuel quality infrastructure reliability and future capacity expansion as Maharashtra seeks to address rising energy demand and ensure uninterrupted power supply across the state