Coal stocks at power generating plants rose to about 30 million tonnes last month, state-run Coal India said, dispelling fears of shortages of dry-fuel during the monsoon season. The government has been making all efforts to build up coal stocks to avoid the reoccurrence of power outages seen during the summer this year.
"Coal stock at power plants is close to 30 MTs, including imported coal, ending August 22. This is substantially higher than 12.8 MTs of August '21 when the stock plummeted by 11.2 MTs in a month," Coal India Ltd (CIL) said in a statement. The PSU said that enhanced supply of fuel from CIL helped the stock stabilise at power houses.
"Closing stock for the month of August'22 is a six-year high barring 2020 when pandemic fuelled slowdown saw the stock at 37.7 MT," it said. With a stock of dry-fuel of 31 MT at CIL's pitheads, around 30 MT stock at power plants, and a little over 10 MT at PSU's sidings, goods sheds, private washeries, ports, captive plants there is sufficient availability of coal in the system, the maharatna firm said.
Besides, the supply of coal to the power sector also rose to 243.3 million tonnes in the first five months of the current financial year. Coal production by CIL during April-August period also increased by 21 per cent to 253.3 MT, over 209.2 MT in the year-ago period. "This level of increase was achieved despite increased downpour across all the areas of WCL (Western Coalfields Ltd) and MCL (Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd)," it said.
CIL production last month rose to 46.2 MT, against 42.6 MT in the corresponding month of the previous fiscal. In August the PSU supplied 43.8 MT of coal to thermal power plants, registering a growth of 16 per cent over 37.8 MT in August last fiscal.
Coal India accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal output. The company is eyeing one billion tonnes of production target by 2023-24. Several parts of the country witnessed power outages during the summer months this year on account of coal shortages.
