The Hindu Business Line-Our Bureau
October 23, 2023
Synopsis
India's coal stocks have grown by 18% YoY to 71.35 million tonnes as of October 21, 2023. Coal imports for blending purposes have decreased by 35%. Production has increased in recent days, with coal stock levels rising at power plants. Domestic coal-based power plants have 37% of their normative stock, and some face critical stock levels. The Ministry of Coal plans to maintain coal availability and is working with other ministries to ensure a closing stock of 40 MT at power plants and 75 MT at mine ends by March 31, 2024.
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The Coal Ministry on Monday said that the pan-India coal stocks at thermal power plants (TPPs), in transit and mine pit heads has grown by more than 18 per cent Y-o-Y to 71.35 million tonnes (MT) as on October 21, 2023.
It is to be further noted that during this period, the import of coal was 13.5 MT as against 20.8 MT during the corresponding period of last year showing a decrease of 35 per cent in coal for blending purposes, the Ministry said.
“After a long rain spell during early October in coal-producing states, production has picked up during the last 10 days. Total production from all sources during the last 10 days is over 26.57 lakh tonnes per day, exceptionally higher. During the last one week, the trend of coal stocks at the TPP end has been reversed. Now the daily supply of coal is more than the average daily consumption and there is a trend of coal stock accretion,” it added.
According to the National Power Portal, at the 165 domestic coal-based (DCB) power plants, with an installed capacity of almost 190 gigawatts (GW), the domestic stocks stood at 17.36 MT and imported at 1.21 MT as on October 21. The daily consumption is around 2.6 MT.
The percentage of the actual stock vis-a-vis normative stock stood at 37 per cent on the same date. The DCB plants with critical stocks stood at 76.
Production and supply
The production and transportation are lower in H1 FY24 since the first half of the year is predominantly summer followed by monsoon. Therefore, stock at the pit head and at TPP records depletion in H1 FY24 and the second half of the year witnesses the accretion, as after the monsoon, production conditions are favourable, the Coal Ministry explained.
During H2, the supply is higher than the consumption, therefore, during the second half of the year, there is build-up in the coal stock at power plants and at mines pithead, it added.
Despite the extremely high demand for power, the Ministry said that it has maintained adequate availability of coal at all thermal power plants in the country.
“Ministry of Coal has also worked out a strategy for ensuring normal production of coal during festival season by way of offering higher wages to the contractual workers during the season. This has resulted in 21 lakh tonnes coal production by CIL on Maha Astmi i.e. equal to any normal day,” it added.
The Ministry has planned to ensure 40 MT of closing stock at pit head plants of thermal power and more than 75 MT at mine end as on March 31, 2024. The Ministry is committed to ensure adequate availability of coal and is in close coordination with the Ministries of Railways and Power.
Source: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/
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