Coal Ministry Denies Coal Shortage Behind Punjab Power Crisis

The Role of the Pachhwara Mine

A key element of the ministry's response centred on the Pachhwara Central Coal Mine, a captive mine owned by PSPCL. The ministry confirmed it has enabled coal supply from this mine to independent power plants, subject to PSPCL fulfilling its statutory payment obligations to the Jharkhand government, a condition that ties the mine's continued output partly to administrative compliance rather than purely operational capacity.

Notably, coal from the Pachhwara mine is also available to independent power plants not owned by PSPCL, including Nabha Power Limited in Rajpura and Talwandi Sabo Power Limited in Mansa, up to 50 per cent of the mine's annual production, once the requirements of specified end-use plants have been met. This arrangement suggests a degree of flexibility built into the mine's allocation structure, allowing surplus capacity to support other plants within the state beyond PSPCL's own facilities.

Supply Data for Independent Power Plants

The ministry presented specific figures to support its claim that CIL supplies to Punjab's independent power plants remain adequate. Against Nabha Power's average consumption of around 4.3 rakes per day over the last three days, rake supply averaged around five rakes per day. Similarly, for Talwandi Sabo Power, against a consumption rate of roughly 3.8 rakes per day, supply averaged around five rakes per day, in both cases exceeding actual usage.

Looking at the broader picture for September 2026 so far, average supply has stood at around 4.9 rakes per day for Nabha Power and 4.1 rakes per day for Talwandi Sabo Power, again higher than their respective average consumption levels, reinforcing the ministry's position that supply has not been the constraining factor in recent weeks.

Production and Despatch Figures From the Mine

The ministry also shared performance data for the Pachhwara mine itself, noting that between April 2026 and September 11, production stood at 83.67 per cent of the annual target, while despatch reached 68.44 per cent of the target. The gap between production and despatch figures suggests that while coal is being mined at a reasonably strong pace relative to annual targets, the rate at which it is actually being moved out and delivered has lagged somewhat behind production, a detail that could point to logistical bottlenecks even as the ministry maintains that overall supply remains sufficient.

Coal Stock Levels at PSPCL Plants

As of September 11, the ministry said coal stock at PSPCL's plants stood at around 114 per cent of the normative requirement, a figure well above the baseline threshold typically used to assess adequate fuel availability. This stock level was presented as clear evidence that Punjab's power plants have had sufficient coal on hand, reinforcing the ministry's broader argument that the state's reduced power generation stems from operational issues, plant utilisation rates and equipment breakdowns, rather than any shortfall in the coal supply chain itself.