Coal ministry disputes supply as the main cause of Punjab power constraints
The ministry's figures shift attention toward plant outages, mine evacuation, rail movement and utilisation, but do not provide a complete causal account.
Responding to reports of power cuts, the Coal Ministry said Punjab's state thermal plants held coal equal to about 114% of the normative requirement on 11 September, while their tentative September plant-load factor was about 59%.
It reported production at Punjab State Power Corporation's Pachhwara Central mine at 83.67% of target but dispatch at 68.44%, leaving about 3.21 lakh tonnes unevacuated. The ministry also supplied allocation and rail-rake figures for two independent power producers.
Why it matters
The data shifts attention from aggregate coal availability to plant outages, mine evacuation, booking, lifting and utilisation, each of which can affect electricity reliability for farms and industry.
SCULTRA point of view
A useful diagnosis needs a shared operational timeline aligning demand, outages, plant stocks, mine dispatch, rail movement and generation. Isolated supply totals cannot settle responsibility for service interruptions.
Limitations
This is a central ministry and Coal India response to media reports. It lacks matching Punjab utility, plant-operator and independent grid data, and some figures cover different periods. The article therefore presents the ministry's position, not a complete causal finding.
Source: Press Information Bureau / Ministry of Coal, 13 September 2026, 2:13 PM IST.