Coal stocks at power plants rise to 74% of normal level

High Demand

- ARUNIMA BHARADWAJ

COAL STOCKS AT the country's thermal power plants improved to 74% of the normative level as on February 19, compared to 62% in the same period of last year, data from the Central Electricity Authority showed. The country's thermal plants had coal stocks of 53.09 million tonne as on February 19 against the normative level of 71.26 million tonne for this time of the year.

Of the 188 thermal plants with a total generation capacity of 213 GW, 30 reported to have a critical stock level. And, 17 of these were domestic coal-based plants. A plant is said to have a critical stock situation when the dry fuel is less than 25% of the normative level. During the same period of last year, 28 plants had a critical stock level.