Power sector increased coal purchases during last 5 months

The supply of coal by state-owned CIL to the power sector in the first five months of the ongoing fiscal increased by 12.1 per cent to 196.9 million tonnes (MT).

The dispatch of dry fuel by Coal India (CIL) in the April-August period of the 2017-18 was at 175.6 MT, according to official data.

The coal supply by the PSU in August increased by 7.3 per cent to 36.7 MT, over 34.2 MT in the corresponding month last year.

The coal supply by Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) in the April-August period of the ongoing fiscal was almost flat at 21.2 MT, over 21 MT in the same period of the last financial year.

The coal dispatch by SCCL in August this year declined by 7.6 per cent to 3.6 MT, over 3.9 MT in the same month last year.

The fuel supply to the power sector is estimated at 525 million tonnes for the fiscal as against 454 million tonnes in 2017-18, Coal India had earlier said.

Coal Minister Piyush Goyal had in July asked Coal India to focus on meeting coal demand, particularly from the power sector.

Coal India, which accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic output, is optimistic about an aspirational production target of 652 million tonnes for the fiscal year 2018-19.

(With inputs from agencies.)