Coal India’s supply to power sector hits record 493 million tonne

Coal India on Friday said supplies to the power sector have hit a record high of 493 million tonnes (mt) for a fiscal year even with 28 days left to go in March. The previous high was 491.5mt in 2018-19.

Supply to the power sector in the 11 months of April-February rose 23 per cent annually to 488mt from 398mt.

The miner said a major challenge was to adjust supplies to the fluctuating demand from the generators.

After a muted growth for two years, coal-based power generation rose sharply by 11.2 per cent till January from a year ago.

This required Coal India to push additional quantities of coal for thermal power generation. Coal India produced 542.4mt till February, an increase of 11 per cent.