Coal stocks at thermal power plants have remained stable above 18 million tonnes as higher rake loading and stronger daily supplies helped sharply slow inventory depletion in October.
New Delhi, October 13 — Coal stocks at power plants have remained stable at more than 18 million tonnes (MT), with the pace of depletion slowing significantly in October as supplies to the power sector improved.
According to the Ministry of Coal, stock accretion was recorded on October 2 at 0.024 MT and again on October 10 at 0.017 MT, indicating that supplies are increasingly keeping pace with daily consumption.
The improvement is particularly visible when compared with September. Coal stocks declined by around 7.28 MT during September, averaging roughly 0.24 MT per day. In contrast, during the first 10 days of October, total depletion was only around 0.56 MT, or about 0.06 MT per day.
Higher railway rake loading has played a major role in improving supply conditions. Rake loading for the power sector averaged 469 rakes per day between October 1 and 10, compared with 426 rakes per day in September, representing an increase of around 10%. Daily rake loading during October ranged between 447 and 482 rakes.
As a result, actual coal supply to the power sector averaged 2.49 MT per day in October, up from 2.21 MT per day in September. The October supply rate was also above the planned level of 2.37 MT per day, with actual deliveries exceeding the plan on nine out of the first 10 days of the month.
The Ministry said power plants with critically low stocks are being monitored closely, while coal is being redistributed based on requirement to vulnerable stations to ensure adequate inventories and uninterrupted electricity generation.
The government is coordinating with Coal India Ltd, Singareni Collieries Company Ltd, the Ministry of Railways and power utilities to maintain coal evacuation and supplies to thermal power plants.
The improvement in coal availability suggests that stronger logistics and higher daily deliveries are helping stabilise inventories at power stations as electricity demand continues to require steady fuel supply.
