Tamil Nadu is staring at power cuts as the state’s stock of coal is sufficient only for three days, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has said in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Palaniswamy requested the PMO, the Coal Ministry and Railway Ministry to ensure supply 72,000 metric tonnes of coal every day.

“At, present the thermal power stations of the Tamil Nadu government power utility have a stock sufficient only for three days… Unless the coal supply position is improved immediately, some of the thermal power stations will have to be shut down leading to power outages in Tamil Nadu,” he wrote in a letter to the Prime Minister.

He said that as against the need of 20 rakes of coal every day, the state is receiving only 7-8 rakes of coal. He pointed out that the season for the energy generation through wind will be over by mid-September, making the situation precarious.

The letter sent to the Prime Minister was tweeted by Palaniswamy’s official twitter handle.

On an average, 72,000 tonnes of coal is needed daily to ensure continuous generation in these power plants. “This translates to at least 20 rakes of coal daily. However, on an average we are receiving only 7 to 8 rakes,” Palaniswami said.