The Central Electricity Authority has indicted public sector Coal India Ltd for slippages in a major number of projects in the ongoing 11th Plan.

During a recent meeting to review the progress of the power projects, Rakesh Nath, Chairman & Managing Director, Central Electricity Authority, said that there were issues relating to coal linkages as CIL had not signed fuel supply agreements with a number of project developers, including for those projects likely to be commissioned in 2009-10.

In some power projects, the coal blocks could not be developed within the stipulated period for commissioning the units, as coal linkages were yet to be allocated, Nath informed.

Further, Nath said that as per the present status for commissioning of power projects during the 11th Plan vis-à-vis production plan of CIL, the gap between demand and availability of domestic coal in the terminal year of the Plan was expected to be about 74 million tonnes, necessitating imports of about 50 million tonnes of coal.

Regarding the status of the development of coal blocks, he said that the coal ministry had, as of June 2009, allocated 207 blocks with coal reserves of 47 billion tonnes. However, only 104 million tonnes of coal were likely to be available from 95 coal blocks in the last year of the 11th Plan.

Nath warned that the position was likely to become more critical in the 12th Plan period.