Bokaro: Power supply in Bokaro Steel City is under fresh strain as coal stocks at Bokaro Power Supply Company Ltd (BPSCL) have dwindled to just three days amid irregular supplies from the Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL) and the Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL).BSL requires about 240 MW for plant operations and another 55 MW for township demand, drawing power from both BPSCL and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC).“The plant requires around 4,000 tonnes of coal daily for normal operations. Earlier, it received nearly one rake of coal every day, but consignments are now arriving every two to three days,” BPSCL CEO Sudhir Vyas said.Power generation at the DVC-SAIL joint venture has dropped to around 130-150 MW from 190 MW in recent weeks, increasing pressure on electricity supply to the Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) and the township.The utility is distributing available power through staggered outages to ensure that no locality remains without electricity for extended periods and residents get time to charge inverters, sources in the BSL said.Coal supply disruptions during the monsoon have further affected mining and transportation. “We have urged the coal companies concerned to restore normal supplies. The immediate concern is the limited buffer stock, which could further constrain generation if fresh consignments do not normalise soon,” he said.Officials warned that any further drop in coal supplies could deepen power disruptions in the township and affect steel plant operations.“Repeated power cuts are affecting our daily routine. We hope the authorities will take immediate steps to restore normal electricity supply,” said Dheeraj Kumar, a resident of Sector 2.
