Coal stocks at thermal plants hold above 18 MT as supply deficit narrows

Domestic thermal power plants had coal stocks of 18.205 million tonnes (MT) as of October 10, with supplies averaging 2.49 MT per day, the government said on Monday, assuring that stocks were adequate to meet power demand.

The Coal Ministry said stocks had remained “stable” at above 18 MT since September 29, even as thermal power plants continued to consume coal at a daily rate of less than 3 MT. Thermal power accounted for more than 60% of electricity generated during peak demand.

“The stabilisation reflects coal supplies keeping pace with daily consumption at power plants and the supply to the 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,” the ministry said.

The rate of stock depletion — the gap between coal consumption and incoming supplies — has moderated significantly, from 0.24 MT per day in September to 0.06 MT per day during the first 10 days of October, it added.

The improvement in supplies has been accompanied by an increase in rail freight movement. The average number of rakes loaded daily for coal transportation to power plants rose 10% to 469 during the first 10 days of October, compared with the daily average for the whole of September.

“Daily rake loading in October has ranged between 447 and 482 rakes,” the government said.