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India’s coal-allocation framework is facing an unusual convergence of three very different requests at the upcoming Standing Linkage Committee (SLC) meeting. One is driven by project delays, another by state-level land redevelopment, and the third by rising baseload demand. Together, they reveal how the coal-linkage regime is being pulled in multiple directions as India navigates its transition decade.

NTPC’s Barauni-II: Captive Mine Delays Make Bridge Linkage Essential

NTPC’s Barauni Stage-II (2×250 MW) continues to rely on bridge linkage because its captive mine at Badam — allotted in 2019 — is still not operational.

A problematic timeline:

Land and R&R hurdles stalled early development

Forest clearance (Stage-II) arrived only in April 2024

Mining lease signed in May 2025

Mine-opening permission still pending

First output expected only by Q4 FY25–26, and even then limited (~0.5 MT)

Since the plant is already operational, NTPC is seeking another one-year extension of its temporary linkage — similar to the tapering relief granted in August 2024.

This case underscores a recurring contradiction: captive mines meant to ensure fuel security often fail to produce on time, forcing dependence on temporary linkages that policy frameworks try to restrict.

Gujarat’s Unprecedented Request: Coal Linkage Triggered by a Sports Complex

The most unusual agenda item comes from the Government of Gujarat. The state wants coal linkage for 362 MW of Torrent Power’s capacity — not due to power demand, but because the land under the Sabarmati TPP’s ash pond is needed for a major new sports complex.

Torrent Power has told the Ministry of Power that without the ash pond, the plant cannot operate. To release the land, Gujarat wants the plant shifted entirely to a new site.

But this creates a policy vacuum:

Tariff Policy 2016 allows linkage for expansion only when done at the same location

There is no guideline for linkage to a plant moved to a new location

The Ministry argues the relocation is compelled, not voluntary

If cleared, this will set a precedent: expansion-by-relocation, opening the door for coal-linked capacity triggered by state urban redevelopment priorities.

Haryana’s 800-MW Expansion: A Straightforward, Data-Backed Case

Haryana’s request is the most conventional: coal linkage for an 800-MW expansion at Rajiv Gandhi TPP, Khedar (Hisar), under Window-I of the Revised SHAKTI Policy (2025).

The justification is grounded in the state’s Resource Adequacy Plan (2024–25 to 2034–35), which shows a need for 3,766 MW of additional coal capacity by FY35. This is beyond ongoing construction, including the Yamunanagar extension.

The basics are all aligned:

Existing site

Established expansion model

Documented capacity requirement

This is the cleanest ask of the three.

A Coal System Being Pulled in Different Directions

These three cases together reflect a coal-allocation system negotiating overlapping pressures:

Delayed captive mines pushing operators back toward temporary linkages

State land redevelopment colliding with established policy frameworks

Growing baseload needs prompting states like Haryana to secure capacity early

The upcoming SLC meeting will test how flexible India’s coal-linkage regime can afford to be and what kinds of exceptions may quietly become precedents.