India's coal production has witnessed a significant upswing over the past 15 days, following unprecedented rainfall in coal-producing regions in early October. The government announced that the country's total coal production from all sources during this period has averaged over 2.640 million tonnes per day.
In a statement, the coal ministry reported, "Coal production in the country, during the current fiscal year (until 28th October 2023), has shown a growth of 12.81% compared to the same period last year."
Moreover, the overall supply of coal has increased by 11.70%, with the power sector receiving a boost of 7.87% in supply compared to the corresponding period last year.
The stockpile of coal at coal-based power plants, which was previously showing signs of depletion, has reversed its trend in the last 10 days, indicating that the supply and receipt of coal at thermal plants now outpaces consumption. This results in an overall increase in coal stock at thermal power plants, including those operated by central and state government power generation companies.
Additionally, as of October 28, 2023, the total coal stock at the mines of Coal India (CIL), Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL), captive mines, and coal in transit stands at 53.23 million metric tonnes (MT), a significant 42.32% increase from the 37.40 MT recorded during the same period last year.
During this period, the consumption of imported coal for blending purposes amounted to 13.5 MT, a 35% decrease compared to the 20.8 MT consumed during the corresponding period last year.