YTPS was established without assured coal allotment; previous BRS govt changed source several times: Bhatti

HYDERABAD

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister M. Bhatti Vikramarka said that the 5×800 megawatt Yadadri Thermal Power Station (YTPS) is perhaps the first thermal power generation facility in the country that has been planned and established without assured coal allotment as the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government had changed the source several times even before it was commissioned.

However, the Opposition BRS and its leaders like T. Harish Rao tried to shift the blame onto the present Congress government, Mr. Vikramarka, who also handles the energy portfolio, said adding that the previous government had initially planned to supply G9 grade coal from Singareni Collieries, though 14 million tonnes per annum required for the project was not available in Singareni mines.

Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad on Tuesday (October 13, 2026), he explained that in 2022, when the coal supply agreement was signed with Singareni, the annual production capacity of G9 grade coal in Singareni mines was only 1.71 million tonnes and it was not entirely meant for YTPS since there were other thermal projects which had agreements for a share of its supply.

He alleged that the State power utilities were burdened heavily factorring in the location of YTPS, as transportation of coal for its lifetime would cost an additional ₹40,000 crore. A series of MoUs were signed on coal supply to YTPS before it was commissioned. After the supply from Singareni was planned, it was decided to import 50% of coal needed through MSTC and later it was decided again to source coal from Singareni. All the while, Singareni was not even allowed to participate in the coal blocks allotment auction.

With the coal transported from far-off places in Singareni and Naini, the cost of power generation at YTPS was very high at ₹6.66 per unit against ₹4.97 at Kakatiya and ₹4.62 at KTPS. Due to non-availability of G9 grade coal, G12 to G16 grades were being supplied to YTPS resulting in higher consumption and higher costs. Despite many teething problems, the government managed YTPS and it was yet to be handed over to Genco fully by BHEL.

The Deputy Chief Minister also ruled out privatisation of power utilities, stating that there was neither any thought nor any discussion about it and BRS leader T. Harish Rao floated the idea with the view to tarnish the image of the Congress government.

Despite a huge spike in the power demand due to the impact of El Nino conditions, the utilities already handled the peak load of 19,892 MW and they were ready to manage demand up to 21,000 MW, irrespective of problems in procurement of energy.