Declining trend in coal stock position at power plants in FY17

There has been a declining trend in coal stock position at power plants in the ongoing fiscal, mainly due to rise in coal-based generation.
"...The coal stock position at power plants has shown a declining trend during 2016-17 and has reached 18.66 MT (million tonnes) on November 14, 2016 against the normative requirement of 30.29 MT," Minister of State for Coal, Power, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, Piyush Goyal said in a reply to Rajya Sabha.
The drop in coal stock is mainly due to increase in coal-based generation by 6.8 per cent during April-September 2016 period, as compared to the same period last year.

Further, some of the power plants are regulating off-take of coal in view of the high coal stock with them and as per the generation schedule given to these plants.
Due to enhanced availability of domestic coal, the coal stock position at power plants as on March 31, 2016 reached 38.87 MT, as against the normative requirement of 29.74 MT.
"In 2015-16, pithead coal stock at mines of CIL increased from 53.47 MT as on April 1, 2105 to 57.64 MT as on March 31, 2016," the Minister said.
In the current year, coal stock at mines of CIL had declined to 39.8 MT (provisional) as on November 14, 2016.