Coal ministry says fuel supply to power plants up in October

Coal supplies to power plants have increased 9% on average in October over September with the pace of stock depletion at thermal power stations slowing, the coal ministry said on Friday.

Daily supplies to the power sector have risen by around 36% from the September low, with October averaging about 9% higher than September, the ministry said.

The daily depletion of coal stocks at power plants has slowed to 0.116 million tonnes in October from 0.243 million tonnes in September, the ministry said.


Railway loading has averaged more than 465 rakes per day in October, with the target of 470 rakes achieved for three consecutive days.

The ministry's clarification comes amid concerns over declining coal inventories at power plants and an increase in the number of stations reporting critical coal stocks.

The ministry said the classification of a plant under the critical stock category is based on prescribed normative stock levels and does not necessarily indicate an immediate shortage of coal or risk of generation loss.

The rise in plants with critical stocks is being closely monitored, with requirement-based redistribution of coal to vulnerable stations to ensure adequate supplies and uninterrupted power generation, it said.