Yadadri Thermal Power Plant’s fifth 800 MW unit was synchronised on Tuesday, making all five units of the 4,000 MW Telangana power station officially functional despite continuing efforts to secure the higher-grade coal needed to operate them reliably.
The milestone was reported by Deccan Chronicle, which quoted Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who also holds the power portfolio. With the final unit now synchronised, the plant has reached its planned generating capacity on paper. The immediate operational challenge is ensuring a consistent supply of G9-grade coal for its supercritical units.
Yadadri Thermal Power Station requires about 14 million tonnes of G9 coal, according to the report. However, arrangements made for that supply over several years did not deliver the required volumes. The plant’s coal logistics involve both the source of the fuel and its movement to the station, making supply agreements and rail transportation central to its operations.
The Telangana State Power Generation Corporation Limited had signed an agreement with Singareni Collieries Company Limited on April 20, 2016, for the supply of 7 million tonnes of G9 coal. SCCL was expected to import the coal. A second agreement, signed on December 9, 2016, with public sector undertaking Metal Scrap Trade Corporation Limited, covered the remaining 7 million tonnes, also through imports.
Arrangements were also made with Indian Railways to transport imported coal from the ports of Visakhapatnam and Krishnapatnam to the power station. According to the report, these agreements were not implemented. In 2022, Telangana Genco signed a new agreement with SCCL for the entire 14 million tonnes required by the plant.
That arrangement exposed another supply constraint. Bhatti Vikramarka said SCCL did not have sufficient reserves of G9 coal and supplied only about 1.71 million tonnes in 2022-23. The gap between the plant’s designed fuel requirement and available supply has therefore remained a significant issue even as the generating units have progressed towards completion.
Bhatti said the plant was located far from coal sources, designed to use a grade of coal that was not available in adequate quantities, and supported by supply efforts that did not resolve the underlying problem. He also said the state government was working to secure G9-grade coal from domestic coal mines and hoped to finalise the arrangements soon.
The synchronisation of the fifth unit marks the completion of the plant’s unit-level commissioning process. Its ability to contribute consistently to Telangana’s power system will now depend on the availability and quality of coal, along with the transportation arrangements required to keep the units supplied. The state government’s next stated step is to tie up domestic sources of G9 coal for Yadadri.
