The 800 MW Unit 5 of Telangana’s Yadadri Thermal Power Plant has been synchronised with the electricity grid, marking a major milestone for the 4,000 MW project even as its long-term coal supply remains unresolved. Coal India has agreed in principle to provide 50 lakh tonnes of coal annually from Odisha, but the formal supply agreement is still pending.
The unit was synchronised on the occasion of Dasara, according to a report by Telangana Today. The development adds another operating unit to the Yadadri project and comes amid an ongoing power crisis in the State. The plant has a planned capacity of 4,000 MW and is being executed under a Rs 20,400-crore order placed with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited.
The fuel arrangement remains the immediate operational concern. Singareni Collieries Company Limited has informed Telangana GENCO that the required G-9 grade coal is not being produced in its mines. Coal India has therefore agreed in principle to supply coal from Mahanadi Coalfields in Odisha, but the source mines and the date on which regular supplies will begin have not yet been finalised.
At present, limited quantities are being supplied from Singareni’s Naini mine in Odisha. According to the report, this interim arrangement cannot continue over the long term without a formal agreement. The plant currently has coal stock for approximately five days, making the finalisation of the supply arrangement an important next step for sustained generation from the newly synchronised unit.
Telangana GENCO CMD Harish and Coal India Director Nagya are scheduled to visit Delhi on Wednesday for discussions on the proposed supply agreement. The meetings are expected to address the annual quantity, source mines and commencement date, although the supplied report does not provide a finalised schedule for concluding the agreement.
The synchronisation means that Unit 5 has been connected to the grid, but the report does not state that the unit has reached full commercial operation or specify the volume of electricity currently being supplied. Further operational milestones will depend on testing, generation procedures and the availability of a dependable coal supply.
The Yadadri project has also become part of the wider political debate over Telangana’s power capacity. BRS working president K T Rama Rao welcomed the synchronisation in a post on X and credited former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and the previous BRS government with expanding the State’s power generation capability. He said Telangana’s installed capacity had increased from 7,778 MW in 2014 to nearly 20,000 MW over the following decade under the BRS government.
The immediate official milestone is the planned Delhi meeting between Telangana GENCO and Coal India representatives. Until the agreement is formally concluded and a regular supply schedule is established, the new unit’s operational continuity will remain linked to the resolution of its coal logistics.
