PSPCL to streamline coal testing at thermal plants
V K Gupta
30 August, 2012
PSPCL has decided to steamline the testing procedure for coal testing after reports alleging manipulation in coal results were published under headings like 'Eyebrows raised over coal testing results at Ropar thermal'.
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PUNJAB STATE Power Corporation Ltd. (PSPCL) has decided to streamline the coal testing at all three thermal plants and shuffle the staff after reports of manipulated test results.

PSPCL management took serious note of reports that test results of coal received at Ropar Thermal Plant by PANEM was following a fixed pattern and was at great variance with test results of Lehra Mohabatt & Bhatinda thermal plants. It may be mentioned that PANEM supplies coal to all three plants from the same captive coal mine.

A high level committee comprising three chief engineers of thermal plants and OSD coal was formed to plug the difference in the procedure of coal sampling and analysis to minimize the divergence in analysis results. A number of meetings were held to discuss the issue last fortnight.

Keeping in view the huge financial stakes involved in the analysis of coal being received from PANEM, washed coal from Monnet and Aryan the committee recommended interchanging the staff dealing with coal testing from time to time. The payments to these companies are based upon the in house analysis carried out by the chemical wings of the respective thermal power stations.

To avoid manipulation on this account, the committee recommended that chief chemists involved in coal analysis of all the three thermal power plants may be transferred from one plant to the other. The other present staff at each plant working under chief/ chemist coal may be interchanged within the thermal power station with the staff working under water wing of the same plant.

However, at Ropar thermal plant the chief chemist coal that was responsible for coal testing has been transferred within plants following reports of bungling in sampling and testing of coal. This week Ropar thermal plant has reported receipt of 2 coal rakes of F grade coal after testing which had not happened in past. As per grading of coal C grade coal is best coal and F grade coal is of lowest quality.

In view of high financial stakes involved in the analysis of coal and to have fair analysis results of the thermal power stations, the committee recommended that in line with recommendation in the Fuel Audit report submitted by CPRI Bangalore the team of officers from engineering/ chemical wing should continue the process of witnessing of coal analysis & sampling randomly.

To remove human error and to have transparency and more precision in the sampling & analysis, coal committee recommended for procurement of latest technology equipment for all three thermal plants in place of existing 20 years old equipment.