Lok Sabha Question No. 4172 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-26
Subject: Coal Supply to Power Sector
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Shri Manish Jaiswal, Shri Anup Sanjay Dhotre, Shri Chandan Chauhan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4172

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 26.03.2025

## Coal Supply to Power Sector

†4172. Shri Chandan Chauhan: Shri Anup Sanjay Dhotre: Shri Manish Jaiswal:

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has prepared any strategy to ensure uninterrupted supply of 906 million tonnes of coal for the power sector during the financial year 2025-26;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of the measures taken to address anticipated coal shortages during peak summer months; and
- (d) whether there is any contingency plan in place to address these unexpected demand surges and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF COAL AND MINES (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

- (a) & (b): There is adequate availability of coal in the country. The focus of the Government is  on  increasing  the  domestic  production  of  coal  to  meet  the  energy  requirement  of  the country.  The country has witnessed highest ever coal production in the year 2023-24. The allIndia domestic coal production in the year 2023-2024 was 997.826 Million Tonnes (MT) in comparison to 893.191 MT in the year 2022-2023 with the growth of about 11.71 %.

In the current year 2024-25, the country has produced 929.15 MT (provisional) of coal (upto February, 2025) in comparison to 881.16 MT in the corresponding period of the last year 202324 with a growth rate of 5.45%.

Ministry  of  Power  communicated  their  domestic  coal  requirement  of  906.1  MT  for  the Financial Year 2025-26, against which Ministry of Coal has conveyed the domestic coal supply plan of 906.1 MT to the power sector for FY 2025-26.

- (c) & (d): As per Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the coal stock at domestic coal-based power  plants  stands  at  53.21  MT  as  on  18.03.2025,  in  comparison  to  46.03  MT  on  the corresponding day of the last year 2023-24 with a growth rate of 15.60%. The current coal stock is sufficient for about 20 days at 85% Plant load factor (PLF).

The supply of coal to the power plants is a continuous process. Coal supply is continuously monitored by the coal companies and also by an Inter-Ministerial Sub-Group comprising of representatives  from  Ministry  of  Power,  Ministry  of  Coal,  Ministry  of  Railways,  Central Electricity  Authority  (CEA),  Coal  India  Limited  (CIL)  and  Singareni  Collieries  Company Limited (SCCL) which meet regularly to take various operational decisions to enhance supply of coal to Thermal Power Plants.

Besides,  an  Inter-Ministerial  Committee  (IMC)  has  also  been  constituted  comprising  of Chairman, Railway Board; Secretary, Ministry of Coal; Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Secretary, Ministry of Power; to monitor augmentation of coal supply and power generation capacity. Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Chairperson, CEA are co-opted as Special Invitees as and when required by the IMC.

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