India has significantly enhanced its domestic coal production plan to meet a growing power demand for 2022-23, with more than 20% year-on-year jump in the output at 934.53 million tonne, including over 83.5% increase in production from captive blocks, besides pressing state-run Coal India Ltd to help states in importing 14.46 million tonne of coal for the first time, officials familiar with the development said.
The government has ensured availability of enough coal to meet any rise in energy demand, which is natural due to increased economic activities in the current financial year as compared to the pandemic years, when coal-based power generation was significantly low, the officials said, asking not to be named. India has the world’s fourth largest coal reserves and is the second-largest producer globally.
“Total power generation with domestic and imported coal in May this year was 102.42 BU (billion unit) as compared to 91.6 BU in May 2019 [a non-Covid period], less than 12% growth in three years. This is manageable provided states nudge their generators to stock enough coal for the monsoon contingency well in advance,” one official said.
