New Delhi, September 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Ministry of Coal on Sunday said adequate coal stocks were available at Punjab’s thermal power plants and rejected reports attributing lower power generation in the state to insufficient coal supplies from the Centre.
The ministry said Coal India Limited (CIL) remained committed to ensuring uninterrupted coal supplies to power plants across the country.
Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) operates three thermal power plants — Guru Hargobind Thermal Power Station at Lehra Mohabbat, Goindwal Sahib Thermal Power Plant and Ropar Thermal Power Station — with a combined capacity of 2,300 MW.
According to the ministry, coal stocks at PSPCL’s plants as of September 4 stood at around 117 per cent of the normative requirement, indicating more than adequate availability.
Despite the comfortable stock position, the average Plant Load Factor (PLF) of PSPCL’s plants in August 2026 was around 42 per cent. The ministry therefore said lower generation during the month could not be attributed to a shortage of coal at the plant end.
In comparison, Nabha Power Limited, a Punjab-based independent power producer, recorded a PLF of around 93 per cent in August, backed by adequate coal supplies from CIL sources.
The Centre also said it had facilitated coal movement to independent power plants (IPPs) in Punjab following the commencement of production from PSPCL’s captive Pachhwara Central Coal Mine.
Coal from the Pachhwara mine has been made available for use by IPPs, subject to fulfilment of statutory payment obligations to Jharkhand. IPPs not owned by PSPCL, including Nabha Power Limited in Rajpura and Talwandi Sabo Power Limited in Mansa, are permitted to use up to 50 per cent of the mine’s annual production after meeting the requirements of designated end-use plants.
The ministry said CIL subsidiaries had also offered coal to Punjab-based IPPs, but booking and lifting had not kept pace with the offers.
Central Coalfields Limited offered five lakh tonnes of coal to Nabha Power and Talwandi Sabo Power on March 30 under the RCR mode. Of this, around 4.1 lakh tonnes had been booked and approximately 3.1 lakh tonnes lifted.
Bharat Coking Coal Limited offered 3.5 lakh tonnes to Nabha Power, of which around 1.3 lakh tonnes had been booked and 0.98 lakh tonnes lifted.
The ministry said timely lifting of the coal already offered, along with improved utilisation of PSPCL’s own plants, would be important for optimising power generation in Punjab.
It reiterated that steps had already been taken to facilitate coal movement to Punjab’s IPPs and said better utilisation of PSPCL plants, combined with timely lifting of available coal, could help meet the state’s power requirements.
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