The Ministry of Coal on Sunday confirmed that coal supplies to Punjab's thermal power plants remain adequate, with coal stocks at 114% of the normative requirement as of September 11, 2026. According to the Coal Ministry statement, Coal India Limited (CIL) and its subsidiaries have continued supplying coal to Punjab's Independent Power Producers (IPPs). The ministry emphasized that the Central Government has proactively facilitated coal movement to independent power plants in Punjab since the commencement of captive mine production. This clarification comes against the background of media reports suggesting that the power crisis in Punjab has deepened with 14-hour cuts hitting factories and farms.
As reported by the ministry, against Nabha Power Limited's (NPL) average consumption of around 4.3 rakes/day over the past three days, rake supply has averaged nearly 5 rakes/day. Similarly, against Talwandi Sabo Power Limited's (TSPL) consumption of around 3.8 rakes/day, supply has averaged around 5 rakes/day. Through September 2026 so far, average supply has been around 4.9 rakes/day for NPL and 4.1 rakes/day for TSPL, which is higher than the average consumption of these independent power plants. However, the ministry noted that CIL has also offered additional coal to Punjab's IPPs, but booking and lifting remain below the quantities allocated.
According to the ministry's analysis, at the Pachhwara Central mine of PSPCL, for the period April 2026 to September 11, 2026, production stands at 83.67 per cent of the annual target, while despatch stands at only 68.44 per cent of the target. This production-despatch gap points to a build-up of unevacuated stock at the mine of around 3.21 lakh tonnes, which the State should evacuate to generate more power at PSPCL's own plants. The ministry highlighted that PSPCL's three thermal plants have a combined capacity of 2,300 MW, but their tentative September plant load factor was only about 59%, indicating that low generation cannot be attributed to insufficient coal stocks at the plants.
The ministry emphasized that timely coal lifting, better captive mine utilisation and closer monitoring of plant breakdowns will be essential to improving Punjab's power generation and meeting rising demand. The ministry suggested that higher utilisation of PSPCL's own plants, monitoring breakdowns at independent power plants, and timely lifting of coal already offered by CIL subsidiaries would help optimise power generation and address the state's requirements. Further coal allocations under the Flexibility Policy are yet to be lifted, indicating potential for additional supply optimization in the future. The ministry clarified that despite comfortable stock positions, low generation during September 2026 cannot be attributed to inadequate coal availability at the plant end.
