India building coal stocks for summer

The government is preparing to build up India's coal stocks to meet high demand for power in the April-June period in 2024, as summer arrives in an election year.

- Rituraj Baruah

Overall coal stocks, including stock at pithead, thermal plants and in transit, would be almost 9% higher at 125 million tonnes on 1 April 2024, compared to 115 million tonnes on 1 April 2023, coal secretary Amrit Lal Meena said in an interview.

"During the period starting January to 15 March, the stock increases. From mid-March, with the rise in temperatures, the decline in stocks start," he said. As of 26 December, the total coal stock stood at around 91.5 million tonnes.

Meena also said that the stock only at plants would reach 40 million tonnes by the end of this fiscal, which would be almost 18% higher than the stock of 34 million tonne at the same time last fiscal. Currently, coal stock at plants stands at over 31 million tonnes, which is adequate for 15 days, he added.