Madhya Pradesh govt import 50k metric tonnes of coal from Indonesia

The Madhya Pradesh government has imported 50,000 metric tonnes of coal from Indonesia to deal with its shortage which is affecting power generation in the state, official sources said.

"The imported coal has reached a port in Gujarat and will reach the state shortly," Madhya Pradesh Power Generating Company Limited (MPPGCL) Chairman cum Managing Director (CMD) RB Agarwal said.

The coal, purchased through Adani Enterprises, will be used in Satpura Thermal Power Station in Betul district, he said adding that they will import one lakh metric tones more in this financial year.

Madhya Pradesh was facing an annual shortage of around 20 lakh metric tonnes, an MPPGCL official, said.

"We were not in favour of buying imported coal costing around Rs5000 per metric tonne, but there was no way out," he said adding that the imported coal was double the cost of indigenous fuel.

There was a shortage of around 35 million tonnes of coal for power generation in the country, he said and pointed out that other states in India too were importing it.

He said that the foreign coal was of high quality and that it produces enormous heat and low ash which is good for power generation.

Madhya Pradesh government was not in favour of importing coal and even state chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had led a protest march last year in New Delhi alleging that the Centre was discriminating against the state in coal supply.