Maharashtra and coal

Introduction
With over 112 million people, the state of Maharashtra is the second most populous in India and would be the tenth most populous country in the world if it were independent. It is the second most urbanized state in India as well as India's leading industrial state. Existing and proposed coal-fired power plants in Maharashtra are concentrated in two areas: (1) The Konkan Coast, with easy access to imported coal; (3) the eastern parts of the state, where Coal India's Western Coalfields subsidiary operates a number of mines in Amaravati and Nagpur Divisions.

Coal resources
Maharashtra's coal reserves account for only 3.44% of India's total coal reserves but contribute 9.29% to national output. These deposits currently supply power plants located in Trombay, Chola, Khaperkheda, Paras, Bhusawal, Ballarshah, Nahik, and Koradi. The three main coal fields are located: (1) the Wardha valley field near Chandrapur, Ghughus and Warora; (2) the Kamptee coalfield in Nagpur district; and (3) the Bander coal field. All three coal fields have relatively low grade coal with high ash content.

Proposed coal plants
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Water supplies and coal plants
In early 2010 the state owned power generating company in Maharashtra stated shut down several units of the 2,340 megawatt Chandrapur Thermal Power Station due to the lack of water. The lack of power generation resulted in legal action being taken against Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company for allegedly breaching load shedding standards. The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission noted that "due to less rainfall, the water couldn’t be accumulated in Erai Dam near Chandrapur which supplies water to this station for the generation of power. The District Collector Chandrapur vide letter dated 31st March 2010 informed that the total water available in Erai dam on 15th April 2010 will be reserved for drinking water purpose and no water should be utilised for Generation purpose. In view of this situation, in the month of April 2010, there was loss of generation of about 1900 MW."

In an August 2011 report, the group Prayas noted that "now close to 8,000 MW of coal-based TPPs are in the pipeline in this very district, including an expansion by the 1000 MW capacity of the Mahagenco plant, which will also source water from the same Irai dam. The figures for water required by individual projects are not given for all plants in the MoEF data. However, using a thumb rule from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) that consumptive use by coal-based TPPs is about 3.92 million cubic metres per 100MW ... Given this, and the huge quantity of water that the TPPs will need, a number of potential water conflict situations appear to be in the making."

Opposition to power plants
Opposition to new coal-fired power plants in Maharashtra has occurred at a number of projects, including Dahanu Power Station, Dhopave Thermal Power Station (Mahagenco), Girye Ultra Mega Power Project, Malvan Ultra Mega Power Project, Ratnagiri Power Plant expansion, and Veshvi power station.

May 2011: Mango farmers protest coal plants in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district
Farmers marched to protest coal plants in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, in an area known as the Konkan Coast. The protests were organized by the Ratnagiri Zilla Jagruk Manch, an organization leading a campaign against seven thermal power plants proposed for the district. In Pawas, Ratnagiri district, villagers protested with a hunger strike. In July 2011, JSW Energy - an Indian power producer controlled by the billionaire Jindal family - delayed the 3,200 MW expansion Ratnagiri Power Plant as it waited for coal-pricing “clarity” from Indonesia and Australia.

Opposition to expansion of the Dahanu Power Station in coastal Maharashtra
According to an August 2007 press report, Reliance Infrastructure was in the process of getting the required clearances for a 1200 MW expansion at Dahanu Power Station. The expansion of the Dahanu plant is opposed by local farmers and fishermen, who complain about the effect of air and water pollution from the existing plant on chikoo orchards, mango orchards, and coconuts, as well fishing. One of the leaders of the opposition, Nergis Irani, led a successful campaign that resulted in the area's designation as "ecologically fragile" by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 1991. In 1996, Irani's organization Dahanu Taluka Environmental Welfare Association (DTEWA) won a Supreme Court order creating the Dahanu Taluka Environmental Protection Authority (DTEPA) in "order to address the complex issues of planning and management of ecologically fragile areas." In 2005 the DTEWA won a legal order to require the plant to guarantee the setting up of flue gas desulphurisation by a bank guarantee of Rs. 300 crore, in order to end 18 years of delays in controlling sulphur emissions.
 * Text of 1996 Supreme Court order in Bittu Seghal & ANR vs. Union of INdia and ORS
 * Ministry of Environment and Forests Notification creating Dahanu Taluka Environmental Protection Authority - December 19, 1996, including 2001 amendments]

Coal ports
Existing terminals
 * Dahanu Port - Maharashtra
 * Dharamtar Port - Maharashtra
 * Haji Bunder Port - Maharashtra

Coal terminals in Maharashtra
Maharashtra has four main coal terminals, shown on the map below.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * India and coal
 * Andhra Pradesh and coal
 * Bihar and coal
 * Chhattisgarh and coal
 * Gujarat and coal
 * Haryana and coal
 * Jharkhand and coal
 * Karnataka and coal
 * Madhya Pradesh and coal
 * Orissa and coal
 * Punjab and coal
 * Rajasthan and coal
 * Tamil Nadu and coal
 * Uttar Pradesh and coal
 * West Bengal and coal

External resources

 * "Move Beyond Coal, Now! Voicesfrom the front lines of the global struggle," Sierra Club, 2011