Inter-Ministerial panel on coal linkages to meet on Wed

The Inter-Ministerial panel formed to look into fuel issues of power plants that are stranded due to unavailability of coal will meet for the first time tomorrow.

"That (Inter-Ministerial Group) has been constituted. It is meeting tomorrow. We are going to take up those issues as to how to address those power plants which are stranded for the want of coal," Coal Secretary S K Srivastava told reporters here.

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"Its an Inter-Ministerial Committee. CCEA (Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs) has taken a decision that the IMG (Inter-Ministerial Group) should look into it and see what can be done. But we have to examine it from all perspective," he added.

However, Srivastava declined to identify the companies which are stranded for want of coal. Following a direction from CCEA , the Coal Ministry has set up an inter-ministerial panel to look into coal linkages of the power plants - having aggregate capacity of 16,000 MW - which are at the advanced stages of commissioning.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) under the chairmanship of Srivastava formed recently has members from ministries including Power, Steel, Railways and Law. A total of 143 fuel supply pacts are to be signed by Coal India (CIL) till 2014-15 in respect of identified power projects of 60,000 MW capacity, which have been assured for coal supply during 12th Five Year Plan period (2012-17), according to an official document. Of these, 92 FSAs are to be signed by the month end.

So far, 55 power companies have entered into fuel supply agreement (FSA) with CIL, which accounts for over 80 percent of the domestic coal production. CIL board has approved the modified FSA with 65 percent domestic coal and 15 per cent imported coal.