CIL asks pithead plants to use road network to increase rake availability
After coal shortage in power generation has staged a comeback with four of them entering the critical and another 12 entering the super critical category in mid-September, Coal India has devised a plan to address the shortage problem asking short distance power plants to use the road ferrying network so that railway rakes can be made available for the thermal generating stations at longer distances.A Coal India official said that to free up railway rakes for longer distance plants, generating stations located within 60 kms from the pitheads (pithead plants) can lift coal as much as they wish (as per the fuel supply agreement) and transport it via trucks which will be cost effective."Usually railway freight costs are higher for short distance while it is cheaper for long distances. Previously, there was a mix between railway and road transport for ferrying coal to plants which are short distance. Now, road transport will be given priority", a company official said.Typically, each...18-09-2017