Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has directed officials to ensure that the Yadadri Thermal Power Station reaches its full installed capacity before Dasara next month, after a review found that the plant has not been achieving optimum generation because of constraints over coal supply.
Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, who also holds the energy portfolio, reviewed the state’s power sector at the MCRHRD Institute’s chief minister’s camp office. Officials told the meeting that Yadadri requires G9-grade coal, while Singareni Collieries does not currently produce sufficient quantities of the grade.
Officials also indicated that Singareni was unlikely to supply the required coal in adequate quantities in the near future. The shortage led the chief minister and deputy chief minister to question why the plant had been designed around G9 coal when the state producer could not provide enough of it, and why the facility had been built away from the coal pithead.
According to the report of the meeting, officials attributed the plant’s location to political considerations during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi government’s tenure. They estimated that transporting coal to Yadadri would impose an additional financial burden of around ₹40,000 crore on Telangana. The estimate was presented during the review and was not accompanied by further details in the report.
The meeting was also informed that Singareni had not secured G9 coal through auctions and that 14 of its coal blocks had already been closed. In response, Revanth directed officials to examine the possibility of procuring coal from Mahanadi Coalfields and Coal India to meet the plant’s requirements.
He asked Bhatti Vikramarka to immediately discuss the issue with Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy and explore arrangements for coal supplies from outside the state. The proposed sourcing change is intended to address the immediate fuel requirement and support higher generation at Yadadri.
The chief minister also directed officials to maintain uninterrupted electricity for lift-irrigation motor pumps and agricultural activities. Thermal power plants were asked to operate at full capacity, while distribution companies were instructed to procure electricity according to demand.
Officials further informed the review meeting that the Centre had advised distribution companies to supply only solar power for agricultural purposes. Revanth directed Singareni to ensure that GENCO receives coal of the required quality so that fuel-related disruptions do not affect generation.
The immediate milestones set out in the review are discussions with the Union coal ministry, arrangements for G9 coal from Mahanadi Coalfields or Coal India, and efforts to bring Yadadri to full-capacity generation before Dasara next month.
