**Executive Summary**
This document provides the response to an unstarred question in Lok Sabha regarding the financial audits to improve production efficiency at the Raghunathpur Thermal Power Plant (RTPP) of Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC). The answer details the status of coal supply, stock position, and refusals, as well as the Plant Load Factor (PLF) for the past five years and the current financial year until November 2025. The response also discusses reasons for low PLF and remedial measures taken, and confirms ongoing audits conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Coal Supply and Stock at Raghunathpur Thermal Power Plant (RTPP):**
* Presents a table showing coal receipt and stock at the plant from FY 2020-21 to FY 2025-26 (Apr-Nov). There were no reported outages due to coal shortage.
* Details quantities of coal received at the plant in '000 Tonnes, and the stock at the plant as on March 31st of each FY in '000 Tonnes.
* **Plant Load Factor (PLF):**
* Lists the PLF for RTPP and the National Average PLF for Coal-based Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) for the past five years and current financial year (Apr-Nov).
* Provides reasons for low PLF, including low scheduled demand due to COVID-19 (FY 2020-21), poor ash plant evacuation, turbine outage (FY 2024-25), and shut down for repairs (FY 2025-26).
* **Remedial Measures:**
* DVC is undertaking the installation of an additional Fly Ash Extraction (FAE) tower.
* Overhauling of both RTPS units has been completed.
* Performance of Ash Handling Plant (AHP) has been improved through extensive maintenance.
* **Audits:**
* The Government of India, through the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), conducts statutory audits of DVC.
* DVC also performs technical audits of its thermal power plants to address deficit areas.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder:** DVC Management
* **Impact:** The document scrutinizes the performance of the Raghunathpur Thermal Power Plant (RTPP), including coal management, PLF, and maintenance practices.
* **Action Required:** Continue implementing remedial measures to improve PLF and ensure efficient plant operation. Cooperate with statutory audits conducted by CAG and internal technical audits.
**Stakeholder:** Government of India
* **Impact:** The government is responsible for overseeing the performance and efficiency of DVC operations.
* **Action Required:** Continue conducting statutory audits through CAG and monitoring the implementation of remedial measures by DVC to improve production efficiency.
**Stakeholder:** RTPP Plant Employees
* **Impact:** They are involved in the implementation of maintenance and improvements to plant operations.
* **Action Required:** To continue performing the maintenance and improvement works.
Key Entities Referenced
Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC): A statutory body that owns and operates the Raghunathpur Thermal Power Plant (RTPP). The Government of India, through the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), conducts statutory audits of DVC under section 47 of Damodar Valley Corporation Act 1948.
Raghunathpur Thermal Power Plant (RTPP): A thermal power plant owned and operated by Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC). The question concerns the status of coal supply, stock position, and refusal at the plant.
Ministry of Power: The ministry responsible for answering the question about financial audits to improve production efficiency. The Minister of Power is requested to state the status of the Raghunathpur Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) Plant.
Plant Load Factor (PLF): A measure of the average capacity utilization of power plants and a key indicator of their efficiency. The question addresses concerns about the Raghunathpur Thermal Power Plant's (RTPP) PLF consistently remaining below the national average.
Damodar Valley Corporation Act 1948: The act under which the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) conducts statutory audits of Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), under section 47.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF POWER
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3119
ANSWERED ON 18.12.2025
FINANCIAL AUDITS TO IMPROVE PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY
†3119. SHRI JYOTIRMAY SINGH MAHATO:
Will the Minister of POWER
be pleased to state:
(a) the status of coal supply, stock position and refusal at the Raghunathpur Damodar
Valley Corporation (DVC) Plant during the last five years;
(b) whether it is a fact that the units had to go on outage several times due to weak
planning by management and shortcomings in contract management and if so, the
details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has any report indicating that the Plant Load Factor (PLF)
has consistently remained below the national average due to delay in maintenance, non-
availability of spare parts, poor Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) management and
inadequate technical inspections and if so, the details thereof along with the remedial
measures taken by the Government in this regard; and
(d) whether the Government proposes to conduct any technical and financial audits to
improve production efficiency and identify management shortcomings and if so, the
details thereof?
A N S W E R
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF POWER
(SHRI SHRIPAD NAIK)
(a) & (b): The status of coal receipt, stock position, and refusal at Raghunathpur
Thermal Power Plant (RTPP) of Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) during the last five
years and current financial year (Apr-Nov) is given below:
Receipt of Coal at Stock at Plant as on Refusal of Coal
S.N. Financial Year (FY) Plant 31st March of FY (in at plant
(in 000' Tonnes) 000' Tonnes)
1 2020-21 3093 203
2 2021-22 3964 201
3 2022-23 3745 225 NIL
4 2023-24 4702 485
5 2024-25 4270 361
6 2025-26 (Apr-Nov) 2963 323*
* Coal Stock position as on 30.11.2025.
DVC has not reported any outage of this plant on account of shortage of coal.
………2.- 2 -
(c): The Plant Load Factor (PLF) of Raghunathpur Thermal Power Plant (RTPP) and
National Average PLF of Coal-based Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) during the last five
years and current financial year are given below:
Overall PLF of National
Financial Year PLF of Raghunathpur
S.N. coal-based TPPs Average PLF of
(FY) TPP of DVC (%)
of DVC (%) Coal-based TPPs
1 2020-21 49.71 62.39 54.56
2 2021-22 57.85 68.96 58.76
3 2022-23 53.67 74.22 64.21
4 2023-24 65.98 76.81 69.49
5 2024-25 62.56 75.70 69.95
2025-26
6 60.91 68.79 63.25
(Apr-Nov) *
*Tentative figures
The reasons for the low PLF percentage in Raghunathpur Thermal Power Plant
during the last five years are as follows:
(i) FY 2020-21: The low scheduled demand was due to the national lockdown
imposed because of COVID-19.
(ii) FY 2021-22 to 2024-25: There was poor evacuation from the ash plant along
with low scheduled demand from 2021-22 to 2024–25.
(iii) FY 2024-2025: Due to outage of Turbine in Unit #2 from March, 2024 to July,
2024 and Low schedule demand.
(iv) FY 2025-26 (till Nov’25): Unit #1 was under shut down in September, 2025
for oil leakage attention in suction line of HP seal back-up pump, and again
under shut down from 14.10.2025 to 20.11.2025 for overhauling & attention
of condenser. However, PLF in the current FY 2025-26 (till Nov’25) is
60.91%, as compared to 55.45% during the corresponding period of the
previous year i.e. FY 2024-25 (till Nov’24).
The remedial measures undertaken by DVC are as follows:
(i) For better evacuation of fly ash from Electro-Static Precipitator (ESP)
hopper’s, a work order for an additional 01 No. of Fly Ash Extraction (FAE)
tower has been placed.
(ii) Overhauling of both RTPS units has been carried out through Indian vendors
and is currently running at full load.
(iii) Improvement in Ash Handling Plant (AHP) Performance has been carried out
through extensive maintenance work.
(d): The Government of India, through the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG),
conducts statutory audits of Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), under section 47 of
Damodar Valley Corporation Act 1948 which includes examining evidence supporting
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statement. It also includes assessing the
accounting principle used and significant estimates made by management (DVC), as
well as evaluating the overall presentation of financial statements. Further, DVC
performs technical audits of its thermal power plants for addressing deficit areas
through long-term and short-term plan.
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