Coal Ministry Rejects Coal Shortage Claim, Says Punjab Power Plants Have Adequate Supply

September 13, 2026

New Delhi: The Ministry of Coal on Sunday clarified that adequate coal has been made available to power plants in Punjab and rejected claims that inadequate coal supply was responsible for reduced power generation in the state.

The ministry attributed the decline in power generation to factors including low utilisation of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL)’s own plants, reported breakdowns at independent power plants (IPPs), and inadequate lifting of coal that has already been offered by Coal India Limited (CIL).

The clarification came after media reports linked reduced generation at Punjab’s thermal power plants to plant outages and inadequate coal availability.

Coal Supply to Punjab IPPs Remains Adequate

The Ministry of Coal said the government has already enabled the movement of coal from PSPCL’s captive mines to independent power plants in Punjab. It added that CIL remains committed to ensuring uninterrupted coal supplies for power generation in the state.

The ministry said higher utilisation of PSPCL’s own plants, close monitoring of breakdowns at IPPs and timely lifting of coal offered by CIL subsidiaries would help optimise power generation and meet Punjab’s power requirements.

It also said coal from PSPCL’s captive Pachhwara Central Coal Mine has been made available to IPPs, subject to fulfilment of statutory payment obligations to the Jharkhand government.

Coal from the Pachhwara mine can also be used by IPPs not owned by PSPCL, including Nabha Power Limited in Rajpura and Talwandi Sabo Power Limited in Mansa, up to 50 per cent of annual production after meeting the requirements of specified end-use plants.

Coal Stocks at PSPCL Plants Above Normative Requirement

The ministry said CIL supplies to Punjab’s IPPs remain adequate.

For Nabha Power, average consumption was around 4.3 rakes per day over the last three days, while rake supply averaged around five rakes per day. At Talwandi Sabo Power, consumption was around 3.8 rakes per day, against an average supply of around five rakes per day.

During September 2026 so far, average supply has been around 4.9 rakes per day for Nabha Power and 4.1 rakes per day for Talwandi Sabo Power, which the ministry said was higher than their average consumption.

Between April 2026 and September 11, production at the Pachhwara Central Coal Mine stood at 83.67 per cent of the annual target, while despatch was 68.44 per cent of the target.

As of September 11, coal stock at PSPCL’s power plants stood at around 114 per cent of the normative requirement, indicating adequate coal availability, according to the Ministry of Coal.

The ministry maintained that optimising the utilisation of existing plants, addressing breakdowns at independent power plants and ensuring timely lifting of offered coal would be key to improving power generation and addressing Punjab’s electricity requirements.