Indian thermal power plants blend 7 MTs imported coal during April-June

29 Jun 2022 CW Team

Following the Center's direction for blending foreign coal to overcome scarcity, thermal power plants (TPPs) blended about seven million tonnes (MTs) of imported coal between April and June 2022.

The Power Ministry ordered all Generation Companies (Gencos), including IPPs, to mix imported coal for power generation in April because of the rise in energy demand and the inadequacy of domestic coal resources to meet demand.

Domestic coal-powered plants have a reserve supply for more than nine days remaining as of June 24, while imported coal-powered plants have supplies remaining for about 12 days.

India expects to import about 59 MT of coal for blending at power plants in the fiscal year (FY2023), while inbound shipments for June are likely to be in the range of 4.8–5 MT.

State-run miner Coal India Ltd (CIL) announced a global tender earlier this month to buy 2.42 MT of the significant product for July to September of FY2023.

It was completed a week after getting indents from 19 independent power plants (IPPs) and seven state GENCOS. Overall, CIL must import about 12 MT of coal until July 2023.

Imports of coal peaked at 248 MT in FY2020 before falling to 215 MT in FY2021 and 209 MT in FY2022. Power Sector imports, which fell from 69 MT in FY2020 to 45 MT in FY2021 and then even lower to 27 MT in FY2022, are substantially to blame for the fall in FY2022.

RK Singh, the Power Minister, told the media that they blended seven MTs of imported coal for April through June 2022, which adds up to 10 MT compared to domestic coal because imported coal has 1.4 times higher GCV than domestic coal.

He said with NTPC, DVC, and several States, they still have about 2.5 to 3 MT in stock.

The Power Minister informed that many states expressed interest in Coal India's import auctions.

Image Source

Also read: India's domestic raw coking coal output to reach 140 mt by 2030

Infrastructure Transport

18 Dec 2025

RVNL secures Rs 1.65 billion railway bridge project from North Eastern Railway

Rail Vikas Nigam (RVNL) has received a Letter of Award (LoA) from North Eastern Railway for a Rs 1.65 billion railway infrastructure project, strengthening its order book and showcasing its expertise in complex railway construction.The project involves constructing the substructure of a major railway bridge over the Gandak River, located between Paniyahwa and Valmikinagar stations. This is part of the doubling of the Gorakhpur Cantt–Valmikinagar railway section, aimed at improving line capacity and operational efficiency.The bridge will feature 14 spans of 61 metres each, built on double D-t..

Raebareli’s Modern Coach Factory rolls out 15,000th railway coach

The Modern Coach Factory (MCF) at Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh has achieved a major manufacturing milestone with the rollout of its 15,000th railway coach on December 15, the Ministry of Railways said.In a press note, the ministry said that MCF has already produced 1,310 coaches in the current financial year 2025–26, reflecting sustained high output at one of Indian Railways’ most advanced passenger coach manufacturing units.Established in 2007 at Lalganj in Raebareli district, MCF was built at a cost of Rs 31.92 billion with an initial annual production capacity of 1,000 coaches. The factor..

RailTel wins Rs 260.88 million IT infrastructure order from VOC Port

Navratna public sector undertaking RailTel Corporation of India has secured an IT infrastructure order worth Rs 260.88 million from V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority (VOC Port), strengthening its presence in port-led digital transformation projects.According to an exchange filing dated December 16, 2025, RailTel has received a Letter of Acceptance (LoA) from VOC Port Authority for the implementation of advanced IT infrastructure at the port. The project is domestic in nature and is scheduled to be completed by August 15, 2026.The company said the order has been awarded in the normal course of ..