Coal Stock

While the domestic production of coal during these summer months has grown 8-10 per cent over last year, easing of transportation bottlenecks has been the real catalyst of change

As many as 184 thermal power plants with a total generation capacity of 211 GW have 68 per cent of normative coal stock levels amid rising electricity demand due to soaring temperatures in the country. According to the Central Electricity Authority's (CEA) May 3 daily report, 184 plants, that are monitored by the CEA, have 47.78 million tonnes of coal stocks against the normative level of 70.55 million tonnes. This assumes significance in view of power ministry projections that peak demand will be 260 GW during this summer. The peak power demand was at an all-time high of 243 GW in September 2023. Peak power demand met or the highest supply in a day rose to 224.18 GW in April 2024 as against 215.88 GW in April 2023. The highest supply in a day has already touched 223.84GW on May 3, 2024, which is higher than 221.42 GW recorded in May 2023. The peak power demand met was 219.37GW on May 1 and 222.03GW on May 2 this year. In view of the projected high demand for electricity, the powe

As many as 86 thermal power plants in the country, including six imported dry fuel-based, had critical coal stock levels as of October 18, according to a Central Electricity Authority (CEA) report. The power plants are labelled as having a critical coal stock situation, where the dry fuel is less than 25 per cent of the normative level. According to the daily coal report of the CEA for October 18, 2023, as many as 86 thermal power plants were having critical coal stock situations out of the monitored 181 in the country. There were six imported coal-based plants out of these 86 plants. CEA monitors 181 coal-based thermal power plants in the country with a total installed generation capacity of 206 GW. As per the report, 148 non-pithead domestic coal-based power plants with a total capacity of about 149 GW had 29 per cent less dry fuel stocks than the normative (or ideal) levels. These 148 plants had about 12.77 million tonnes of coal against the normative level of 43.53 million to

Coal, rail ministries confident stock will replenish by mid-month

The overall coal stock position in the country rose 34 per cent to 103 million tonnes (MT) on July 16, an official statement said on Tuesday. As on July 16, 2023, thermal power plant coal stock stands at 33.46 MT, which is 28 per cent higher compared to the corresponding period of last financial year, the coal ministry said in a statement. "Coal availability at all locations including pithead coal stock at mine end, stock in transit and TPPs is 103 MT as against 76.85 MT last year, which is 34 per cent higher year-on-year. The ministry is also closely coordinating with all central gencos (generation companies) and state gencos and there is absolutely no shortage of coal for the power sector," it said. The ministry further said that coal companies have undertaken construction of cemented roads for uninterrupted evacuation from larger mines. Transportation from nine coal mines to railway sidings has been started through mechanised coal handling plants. Coal production from April 1 to

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL) to pay a compensation of Rs 10 crore for violation of environmental rules by unscientific storing of around 1.5 lakh tonnes of coal in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh. The NGT was hearing a petition claiming the violation of environmental norms by unlawful dumping of coal in 35 bighas area belonging to the NCL, which was in the vicinity of a residential area. Noting a report of an earlier constituted panel along with a letter by the state pollution control board (PCB), a bench of chairperson Justice A K Goel said the dumping of coal was to the detriment of the environment and public health and the NCL had failed to take necessary measures to prevent air pollution. The bench also comprising judicial member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel said the Rs 4.43 crore compensation determined by the state PCB was inadequate. ...the PCB has levied compensation on in-house formula which

Downpour allows power plants to stock coal for upcoming summer months

Coal Secretary Amrit Lal Meena said all the coal companies of national miner Coal India (CIL) had more coal than their targeted production for the upcoming summer season

The domestic coal supply to the power sector in October is 12 per cent more than the same period of last year.

India is unlikely to see a repeat of the 2021 energy crisis this festive season as coal-fired power stations across the country have comfortable levels of the fuel stock to meet electricity demand of the world's fastest expanding major economy. Learning lessons from the October 2021 energy crisis, when power stations were put on outage alert, due to coal stocks falling to the lowest level in years, the ministries of coal and power as well as railways this year have worked out a plan to ensure adequate fuel stocks at electricity generating units, officials said. With coal used to produce almost 70 per cent of electricity, officials are confident that the 2021 crisis will not be repeated this festive season that kicks in a week's time. Electricity demand in India has soared with a rebound in industrial activity after easing of pandemic-related curbs. And the increased lightning needs during the festive season is likely to send the demand shooting. According to a coal ministry officia

Coal stocks at power generating plants rose to about 30 million tonnes last month, state-run Coal India said on Thursday, 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 (till 29th). 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,

Union coal secretary Anil Kumar Jain on Tuesday said that thermal power stations have coal stocks that will last for the next 17 days and Mahagenco has stocks for eight to 10 days. Jain addressed a press conference along with Coal India Ltd (CIL) chairman Pramod Agrawal at the Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) during their visit to Nagpur. A major decision has been taken with regards to the pension scheme of coal mine workers, Jain said. The CIL gives Rs 10 per tonne of coal production towards pension scheme to coal mine workers, and likewise, the CIL gave approximately Rs 622 crore towards pension scheme out of the total production of 622 million tonnes last year, he said. As private coal companies were not contributing this way, the coal ministry was planning to a make a law wherein such firms will have to contribute around Rs 20 per tonne coal towards pension fund, Jain said. Speaking about the coal supply to Mahagenco and other power companies, Jain said the WCL was supposed to

After long power outages owing to coal shortages over two years, the government and its principal producer have drawn up an integrated plan to preclude the annual seasonal supply dislocations

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Power Minister R K Singh said electricity supplied grew 12.8% in April 2022, as compared to the year-ago month, across India

The Union coal ministry is confident that till September-end, there will be 9-10 days of coal stock at the power units

CIL has called for bids to supply 2.4 mt of coal to be delivered for the July to September 2022 period

In addition, about 4.5 MT coal stock is available at various goods shed sidings, private washeries and ports and is awaiting to be transported to the power plants

Power minister Satyendar Jain claimed the coal stock figures cited by him in his letter to Union Power minister R K Singh was authentic and if there was any confusion, it was created by the Centre

Panneerselvam said the DMK had lost power earlier due to electricity cuts and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin should intervene and put an end to power cuts in the state

Since the middle of March, the grid has routinely reported maximum loads above 195,000 MW, including a peak of 199,584 MW on April 8 - less than 0.5% below the record