Volatile RI coal caused fire at Tata Power?s Mundra power plant

India?s Tata Power has said the susceptibility of Indonesian coal to spontaneous combustion was the main reason for last month's fire incident at its 4,000 MW Mundra plant.

The fire had broken out at the site of the Mundra plant on November 14, temporarily affecting electricity generation. Operations have now returned to normal.

The plant is operated by Coastal Gujarat Power Ltd (CGPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Power, and is fired with coal imported from Indonesia.

Indonesian coal is highly volatile and susceptible to spontaneous combustion, CGPL's Chief Executive Officer K K Sharma said when asked about the cause of the fire as reported by PTI on-line news. "Our protective system worked well. The plant is now working nicely," he told PTI.

Tata Power's overseas presence includes strategic investments in Indonesia through 30 percent stake in coal mines and a geothermal project. (*)