New Delhi: Despite high power demand, thermal power plant coal stocks remain over 45 million tonnes, a 30 percent increase from last year, the Ministry of Coal said on Saturday, adding that these stocks are sufficient to meet 19-day requirements.
"In May 2024, the average daily depletion at the plant end was only 10,000 tonnes per day" said the Ministry. "A sub-group, comprising representatives from the Ministry of Power, Ministry of Coal, Ministry of Railways, and power generating companies, is maintaining an efficient supply chain. Coal production growth is over 8% compared to last year, with over 100 million tonnes of coal at the mine pit-head."
The Ministry of Railways has ensured 9% average growth in daily availability of railway rakes, it said. Evacuation through costal shipping has also seen significant growth, with coal being transported through Dhamra and Gangavaran ports. Infrastructural augmentation in the railway network has improved turnaround time by over 100 percent
The Ministry of Coal has said it is working to ensure adequate coal availability during the monsoon season, with an expected 42 million tonnes of coal available by July 2024.
In a related development, state-owned Coal India and its subsidiaries recorded coal production of 64.4 million tons in the month of May 2024 in comparison to 59.9 million tons in May 2023, posting a growth of 7.5 per cent. It also announced that it produced 126.2 million tons of coal during April-May period, up 7.4 per cent from 117.5 million tons during the same period previous year.
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