The state is desperate for coal to produce power, and state energy minister Shobha Karendlaje has written a desperate note to the Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation for the allocation of coal. But sources in the department say that chances of state getting coal allocation are slim. Ms Karandlaje has requested for 11 million tonnes of coal per annum for Karnataka Power Corporation’s power project in Godhna in Chhattisgarh.
Only after getting an assurance from the department can the state approach for the Ministry of Environment and Forest for the final clearance. In another set back, though the state government had signed an MoU for setting up a pit head coal fired plant, the permission has been denied and the plant will now come up 4 km away from the coal mine. A pit-head plant is a thermal power generation unit located at the coal mine. This reduces transportation charges and cuts down wastage.
Karnataka, with virtually no coal deposits since 2008, has been trying to set up the 1,600 mw supercritical power plant in Godhna in Chhattisgarh to get over the power crisis. “The Chhattisgarh government had been inviting Karnataka to set up a plan since 2003. There are around 50-60 plants and many of them belong to other states. Recently, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu also initiated the process to set up the plant,” said a senior official from energy department. Further complicating the issue for Karnataka, recently the central government gave the power of mineral allocation to respective states. “Now it is more competitive as the mineral development department has been given the power to allocate commercial mining allocations. However, the plants under operation also can apply for this,” he added.
While the state government is making all efforts to start work on the Rs 9,015-crore KPCL plant in Chhattisgarh, there is still no clear time frame as to when the plant will become a reality. “Getting coal is very difficult as there is a lot of competition from all other states. We have the land and most of the permissions, except the clearance from the environment ministry. But the work can start only after final confirmation on coal allocation and we have no idea when that will come through,” said KPCL Managing Director M.R. Kamble.