India has sufficient coal stocks to meet around 51 days of domestic power demand, Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy said, allaying concerns over supply disruptions caused by heavy monsoon rains in coal-producing regions.

The country currently holds around 123.7 million tonnes (MT) of coal, including 23.7 MT stocked at thermal power plants, Reddy told reporters. With the power sector consuming nearly 2.4 MT of coal a day, the available stock is adequate to meet demand for about 51 days, he told in response to a query from The Hindu.

Reddy’s comments came amid concerns over coal inventories at thermal power plants. The Central Electricity Authority had recently observed that 53 thermal power plants were holding 25% or less of their required coal stock.

Coal production was affected for around 10 days due to monsoon rains in key coal-bearing regions, Reddy said. However, rainfall has eased over the past few days, allowing production to recover.

“We are monitoring the situation daily. Rainfall has eased in the last couple of days, thus production has increased. There is no need to worry about coal stocks,” Reddy said.

He added that if rainfall remains moderate for another week, coal production could increase further.

The Coal Ministry is also coordinating with coal-producing companies, the Ministries of Power and Railways to ensure adequate coal availability and smooth offtake, Reddy said.

Meanwhile, coal-based power generation rose 9.1% year-on-year to 535.8 billion units (BU) between April and August, according to government officials. “This was mainly due to El Niño conditions, coupled with an 11% decline in hydropower generation,” they explained.

Coal India’s production has also picked up sharply. According to the latest government data, the company’s average daily output increased by around 35% from the first three days of September to about 1.83 MT on September 6, indicating a recovery in production following the monsoon-related disruption.

India’s coal production soared 7.5% in July from the comparable period last year while dispatches surged 17.34% amid increased demand for power during the period which saw lower-than-normal monsoons.

Official data indicated that the country’s power consumption grew by about 11% in June compared to the same period last year, reaching 170.7 billion units (BU) as demand for cooling appliances rose.

India produced 69.75 million tonnes (MT) of coal in July, which is higher than the 64.88 MT produced in the same month last year, according to provisional figures provided by the Union Coal Ministry.

Coal dispatches stood at 86.33 MT during the reported period — which is 17.34% higher than 73.57 MT dispatched last year.

In the reported period, Coal India accounted for 50.35 MT of production — which is 8.42% higher on a year-over-year basis whilst it dispatched 63.67 MT of the carbon commodity during the period.