Nalco falls 5% as acute coal shortage affects smelter plant operation

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Shares of National Aluminium Company fell 4.7 percent intraday on October 17 after the company faced acute coal shortage which affected its smelter plant operation.

The stock corrected nearly 30 percent in the last six months. It was quoting at Rs 40.10, down Rs 1.55, or 3.72 percent on the BSE at 1156 hours IST.

Nalco fully depends upon Mahanadi Coalfields (MCL) for the supply of coal to its captive power plant at Angul and Steam & Power Plant at Damanjodi. Company's requirement of coal for its CPP at Angul is around 17,000 tonnes per day. At present, NALCO's CPP is receiving around 8,000-9,000 tonnes per day and there is a shortfall of around 7,000-8,000 tonnes per day.

"Due to this short supply, which is running since the last seven weeks, the buffer stock of coal available with Nalco's captive power plant has been exhausted. Since the supply of coal has not improved, the company has been drawing around 190 MW of power from the state grid," Nalco said in its BSE filing.

As on date, 80 electrolytic pots in the smelter plant have been stopped, it added.

The company said since, the coal supply position is not improving, in order to secure the safety of pots, it may be forced to further shut down up to 227 numbers of electrolytic pots in phases, depending upon the power generation in CPP, matching with coal receipt.

Presently three units of CPP, each of 120 MW capacity are under shutdown and further one more unit will be taken under shutdown due to coal shortage, it added.

Short supply of coal has severely impacted aluminium production of Nalco and also the cost of power, as the power purchased from the grid is costly as compared to the power produced by the company at its CPP, the company said.

Unions and associations have appealed to MCL, Coal India and Ministry of Coal to ensure increased coal supply to Nalco to tide over the situation, it added.