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New Delhi, Mar 17: The Ministry of Coal has conveyed the domestic coal supply plan of 906.1 million tonnes (MT) to the power sector for FY 2025-26 in accordance with the Ministry of Power's communication on the requirement for the financial year 2025-26, the Parliament was informed on Monday.

There is adequate availability of coal in the country at present. As per the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the coal stock at domestic coal-based power plants stands at 53.49 million tonne (MT) as on March 10, 2025, in comparison to 44.51 MT on the corresponding day of the last year 2023-24 with a growth rate of 20.20 per cent. The current coal stock is sufficient for about 20 days at 85 per cent plant load factor (PLF), Union Minister of Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

During the current year 2024-25, the country has produced 929.15 MT (provisional) of coal (up to February 2025) in comparison to 881.16 MT in the corresponding period of the last year 2023-24 with a growth rate of 5.45 per cent, the minister said.

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 highest-ever coal production in the year 2023-24 with the all-India domestic coal production at 997.826 MT in comparison to 893.191 MT in the year 2022-2023 with a growth of about 11.71 per cent, he stated.

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 representatives from the Ministries of Power, Coal, and Railways, the CEA, Coal India Limited (CIL), and the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) which meet regularly to take various operational decisions to enhance the supply of coal to thermal power plants, Reddy said.

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

In reply to another question, the minister said in line with India’s Panchamrit & Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitments, Ministry of Coal is promoting sustainable coal mining and reduction in carbon footprint. The coal PSUs have been constantly making efforts to minimise the footprints of coal mining through sustained reclamation and afforestation of areas in and around their operating mines.

In addition, coal PSUs are participating in extensive plantation under the Green Credit Programme launched by the Ministry of Environment, upgrading mechanised coal transportation and loading systems, and deploying modern equipment having environment-friendly features, like surface miner, and continuous miner in coal mining, which eliminates the drilling, blasting and crushing operations in coal and hence, in turn, obviates pollution caused due to these operations. Rippers are also being deployed for blast-less removal of overburden in some mines.

Besides, coal PSUs have also started commissioning Renewable Energy power projects. Additionally, they are venturing into various clean coal technologies like coal gasification, and coal bed methane (CBM), he added.

--IANS

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