Lok Sabha Question No. 504 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-01
Subject: Shortage of Coal
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Ravneet Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.504 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.12.2021

## Shortage of Coal

## 504.  SHRI RAVNEET SINGH BITTU:

## Will the Minister of Coal be pleased to state:

- (a) whether recently most of the coal-fuelled power projects in the country suffered from depleted coal stocks resulting in power outage in the country;
- (b) if  so,  the  details of  the  gap  between the demand and actual supply of coal in these power projects, State/ UT-wise along with reasons therefor;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  is  taking  any  measures  and  has  devised  any comprehensive strategy  to  augment  the  availability  of  coal  and  ensure  sufficient supply of coal in these power plants to prevent any such power outages in future; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS, COAL AND MINES (SHRI PRALHAD JOSHI)

(a): Due  to  increased  demand  of  power,  less  power  generation  by  imported  coal based power plants and some interruption in supply of coal due to heavy rains, the coal stock at the power plants depleted to 7.2 Million Tonne (MT) (sufficient for 4 days) as on 8 th  October, 2021.  Subsequently with increased coal supplies,  the coal stock has started increasing and has now reached 16.74 MT (sufficient for 9 days) as  on  25.11.2021.   Coal  India  Limited  (CIL)  has  dispatched  around  54  Million Tonnes (MT)  more coal during April - October'21 in comparison to the same period of last year. CIL has dispatched 291.72 MT coal during this period, against 237.75 MT during the same period of last fiscal.

The  month-wise  gap  between  Energy  Requirement  and  Energy  Supplied  in  the country  has  varied  from  0.3%  to  1.1%   only  during  the  year  2021-22  (AprilOctober).  However,  even  this  gap  is  generally  on  account  of  factors  other  than inadequacy  of  coal  availability  in  the  country  e.g.  constraints  in  distribution network,  financial  constraints,  commercial  reasons,  forced  outage  of  generating units etc.

(b): The  state-wise  details  of  coal  receipt  and  consumption  in  the  power  plants during 2020-21 (Apr-Sep) is as under:-

Figs. in Thousand Tonnes

| April-Sep, 2021   | April-Sep, 2021   | April-Sep, 2021   |
|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
| Name of the State | Coal Receipt      | Coal Consumption  |
| Haryana           | 5170              | 6811              |
| Punjab            | 6852              | 7656              |
| Rajasthan         | 9055              | 9553              |
| Uttar Pradesh     | 41178             | 44589             |
| Chhattisgarh      | 50596             | 53695             |
| Gujarat           | 13916             | 13282             |
| Madhya Pradesh    | 37942             | 40289             |
| Maharashtra       | 35163             | 36771             |
| Andhra Pradesh    | 17561             | 18028             |
| Karnataka         | 7348              | 7730              |
| Tamil Nadu        | 15854             | 15816             |
| Telangana         | 15173             | 15424             |
| Bihar             | 13412             | 14466             |
| Jharkhand         | 8025              | 9137              |
| Odisha            | 21565             | 22432             |
| West Bengal       | 24314             | 26764             |
| Assam             | 1076              | 1208              |
| TOTAL             | 324200            | 343651            |

- (c) & (d): In order to maintain adequate coal stock with power plants, various steps have been taken by the Government which are as under:
- i.  In  order  to  address  the  issues  of  coal  supplies  to  power  sector,  an  InterMinisterial  Sub-Group  comprising  of  representatives  from  Ministry  of  Power, Ministry of Coal, Ministry of Railways, Central Electricity Authority (CEA), CIL and SCCL meet  regularly  to  take  various  operational  decisions  to  enhance  supply  of coal  to  thermal  power  plants  as  well  as  for  meeting  any  contingent  situations relating to power sector including critical coal stock position in power plants.
- ii. CIL had offered about 5.2 MT of additional coal from its various subsidiaries to States, Central Gencos for lifting through RCR/ Road Mode.
- iii. In addition to Annual Contracted Quantity (ACQ), coal has been offered under RCR mode on 'as is where basis' to build up stock at Power house end is.
- iv.  The Ministry of Coal has amended Mineral Concession Rules, 1960 with a view to  encourage  domestic  coal  production  enhancement  from  captive  mines  by allowing sale of coal or lignite, on payment of additional amount, by the lessee of a captive mine up to 50 percent of the total coal or lignite produced in a financial year,  after  meeting  the  requirement  of  the  end  use  plant  linked  with  the  mine. Earlier  this  year,  the  Mines  and  Minerals  (Development  &  Regulation)   Act  had been  amended  to  this  effect.  This  is  applicable  for  both  the  private  and  public sector captive mines. With this amendment, the Government has paved the way for releasing of additional coal in the market by greater utilization of mining capacities of  captive  coal  and  lignite  blocks,which  were  being  only  partly  utilized  owing  to limited production of coal for meeting their captive needs.