New Delhi: After a record-breaking coal production of 777 million ton (MT) in 2021-22, the domestic coal production continues to witness an increasing trend in the current financial year as well. The total domestic coal production in 2022-23, as on 31st May, 2022 is 137.85 MT, which is 28.6 per cent more as compared to the production of 104.83 MT in the same period of last year.

This trend is being maintained in June, 2022 also. The coal production by Coal India Ltd (CIL) is 28 per cent more than the production in the same period of the previous year as on 16th June, 2022. Domestic coal production target for the current financial year is 911 MT, which is 17.2 per cent more than the previous year.

The coal imports for blending by the Domestic Coal Based (DCB) power plants have dropped to 8.11MT in the year 2021-22 which has been the lowest coal import in the last eight years. This was possible solely due to the robust coal supply from domestic sources and increased domestic coal production.

The Imported Coal Based (ICB) power plants had imported coal of more than 45 MT per year from 2016-17 to 2019-20. However, coal imports by the ICB power plants dropped to the lowest level of 18.89 MT in 2021-22 and the generation from these plants also dropped to 39.82 BU in the year 2021-22 as compared to the 100 plus BU which these plants have been generating since quite some time.

In the last five years, the coal-based power generation has grown at a CAGR of 1.82 per cent whereas the domestic coal supply to power sector has grown at a CAGR of 3.26 per cent. Thus, coal supply to the power sector has outpaced the growth in coal-based power generation and continues to do so in the present year too.

With increased production, the rake supply from CIL to the power sector has also been at all-time high. The rake loading to power sector increased from 215.8 rakes per day in 2020-21 to 271.9 rakes per day in 2021-22, registering a growth of 26 per cent. In the current year also till 16th June, 2022, the rake supply from CIL to power sector has increased by 25 per cent as compared to the same period of last year.

During the monsoons, despite having high coal stock at mine ends, the coal companies face problems in transporting coal to the sidings due to flooding of mines and the wet coal jamming the coal handling plants conveyor systems. Even by the end of the second quarter, coal stocks remain high at CIL mines when stocks are low at thermal plant end. Their domestic coal production is not an issue. /BI/