Ranchi, April 7: The latest state-wide 72-hour blackout after the breakdown of Tenughat Vidyut Nigam Limited (TVNL) has led Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB) today to ask Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for power from its upcoming Maithon Right Bank Thermal Power Project, commonly referred to as Maithon Power.

In an SOS to DVC, JSEB requested that a power purchase agreement be inked between JSEB and Maithon Power at the earliest so that 25 per cent of all the power generated at the plant could be made available for the consumption of Jharkhand.

The Maithon project is a joint venture between DVC and Tata Power. Maithon Power would have an installed capacity of 1,000MW. Hence, after the conclusion of the power purchase agreement, around 250MW would be made available to the state.

JSEB chairman Shiv Basant told The Telegraph that by July, Jharkhand would begin to receive 150MW after Maithon Phase-I commences generation. An additional 100MW will be available after the second phase gets operational by December this year, he added.

The JSEB distress call comes after most parts of the state plunged into darkness in the past three days, after both units of the state-owned TVNL were forced to shut down following snags in their boiler units.

The shutdown resulted in power supplies plummeting by as much as 440MW, forcing JSEB to enforce blackouts throughout its command areas for prolong periods.

JSEB chairman has also asked TVNL to conduct an internal enquiry into the reasons behind the frequent breakdowns of the boiler units and even suggested that TVNL built up a sufficient inventory of coal to ensure that power generation did not get hampered due to coal shortages.

“We have asked TVNL to built up a minimum of 20 days of buffer as far as coal stocks are concerned. We have also asked TVNL to review its coal transport agreements with respective vendors so that carrying coal from collieries of Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) at Hazaribagh is not hindered. We have also had a very cordial meeting with CCL chairman-cum-managing director R.K. Saha, who has assured us of continuous coal supplies,” the JSEB chairman told The Telegraph.

The JSEB chief pointed out that power generation in the state improved after one unit at TVNL was lit up today and synchronised into the state grid. He added that with coal supplies to TVNL now picking up momentum, it was most likely that the second TVNL unit would be lighted up tomorrow.