Plans afoot to ensure coal stock at pithead power units

The coal ministry plans to ensure 40 million tonnes of closing stock at pithead thermal power plants and more than 75 million tonnes at mines as on March 31.

This comes after stocks at domestic coal-based plants depleted at a faster pace in the first half of the month. Coal stock at domestic power plants was down to 18.4 million tonnes as of October 15. The stock has depleted by 3.3 million tonnes in the first half of the month. Last year on October 15, the stock at domestic coal-based plants was 22.6 million tonnes.

During the last one week, the trend of coal stocks at the thermal power plant end has been reversed, the ministry said on Monday. Now the daily supply of coal is more than the average daily consumption and there is a trend of coal stock accretion, it added.

After a long rain spell during early October in coal-producing states, output has picked up and total production from all sources during the last 10 days is over 26.57 lakh tonnes per day, the ministry said.

As on October 21, total coal stock was at 71.35 million tonnes, including coal at mine pit-head, in transit and at power plants, as against 60.44 million tonnes in the corresponding period last year.

The production and transportation are usually lower in the first half of the financial year since the period is predominantly summer followed by monsoon, it said.

The ministry has also worked out a strategy for ensuring normal production of coal during the festival season by offering higher wages to contractual workers.

Till October 21, coal production saw a growth of 12.7% on year, the ministry said.