Fuel supply increased to 1.51 million tonnes per day despite shortages in coal supply

Coal India Limited (CIL) has increased the supply of coal to power utilities across the country to 1.51 million tonnes per day in the past four days of the current month, it said on Monday adding that it is building up adequate evacuation logistics to transport the dry fuel. The development comes on the back of reports that a power crisis is looming at large, due to the shortage of coal in the country. During October, the average supplies to the coal-fired plants has been 1.43 million tonnes per day and has been augmented now to 1.51 million tonnes in the last four days.

The state-run unit added that it is taking all the efforts needed to bridge the demand-supply gap to the best of it ability. The coal availability would not be a problem as it has 40 million tonnes stock at its pitheads and is increasing.

Coal production to increase once attendance improves

Until Sunday, the total offtake has increased to 1.73 million tonnes per day in October, and posted a 10%  increase over the same period last year.

CIL said that, despite heavy rainfall, it produced about 126 million tonnes of coal during the second quarter of the current financial year, setting a record high for the quarter clocking a 9.6% YoY growth.

As compared to October 2020, CIL has logged a 6.5% growth in the first ten days of October. Going ahead, the production will increase further when the attendance at coalfields improves after the festival holidays.

In this fiscal, supplies to power generation companies (gencos) from CIL, have been at an all-time high. But it is the never-experienced-before hunger for the dry fuel, spurred by an unmatched rise in power generation that upset the demand-supply scales.

It said that once October and major festivals come to an end, conditions will improve and the demand for power is expected to be down by a notch, thereby easing the pressure.