The coal stocks at domestic coal-based (DCB) Thermal Power Plants (TPPs), as of June 29, have 44.46 million tonnes (MT) of coal, which can last for about 18.5 days at the current usage rate, the Ministry of Coal said in an official press release on Monday.
The present stock is 33 per cent more than the coal stock the ministry had at the same time last year, as per the Ministry. Coal production in the first quarter of this year grew by 10.58 per cent, and coal supply increased by 8.50 per cent.
Given that the monsoon season can affect coal production, the Coal Ministry has ensured there are 98.67 MT of coal available at the mine sites (including coal in transit) as of June 30, 2024. This is 33.5 per cent more than what was available last year.
Currently, TPPs have 68 per cent of the coal they ideally need, compared to about 50 per cent at the same time last year. There was no coal shortage at domestic coal-based TPPs during the fiscal year 2023-24, and the coal stock at TPPs was over 47 MT as of March 31, 2024. The Coal Ministry plans to maintain similar high stock levels this year at both TPPs and mine sites, the statement added.
Additionally, as of June 29, 2024, the number of coal transport rakes (trainloads) per day has increased by 10.54 per cent compared to last year. This shows that there is enough coal to meet the needs of all domestic coal-based TPPs during the monsoon season, the Coal Ministry said.
It further added that the Coal, Railways, and Power Ministries are working together to ensure that all domestic coal-based TPPs have sufficient coal.
A week ago, Union Ministry of Coal and Mines, G Krishan Reddy directed officials of the Coal Ministry to review the management of captive and commercial coal blocks for faster operationalisation of auctioned coal mines.
Apart from this, the Ministry has also initiated India’s first-ever pilot project for Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) at the Kasta coal block in Jamtara District, Jharkhand.
It aims to revolutionise the coal industry by converting coal into valuable gases such as methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide through in-situ gasification.