CIL's apportioned quantity accounts for a little over 74% of the estimated coal requirement of domestic coal based plants during the year, which is 821 MTs.

In the wake of forecasts that a hot summer may push up coal demand, CIL is gearing itself to meet the requirement on the back of adequate coal stocks at its pitheads and increased production in the first quarter of FY'24.

“With increasing production and adequate coal stock of 69 MTs at our pitheads we aim to meet the projected target with our best shot and satiate the demand” said a senior executive of the company. He added “with large tracts of over burden already removed, exposing the coal seam, ramping up production should not be a problem”.

CIL's production and off-take for 2023-24 is targeted at 780 MTs. Of this, with 610 MTs programmed to meet the power sector's demand, availability of coal for the nonregulated sector increases sizably. Even after compensating for any unforeseen demand surge from the thermal power plants, coal accessibility to NRS would be much better in FY'24 than a year ago. CIL' supply to NRS in FY'23 was 108 MTs.

The domestic coal available in the system as of 1st April 2023 is around 125 MTs, the highest, barring the Covid year of 2019-20 when the demand plummeted. This includes 69.6 MTs at CIL's pitheads, 34.6 MTs at thermal power plants, 13.7 MTs at goods sheds, washeries, captive mines and ports put together, around 3 MTs in transit and 4.5 MT at Singareni Collieries Company.

Domestic coal based electricity generation in FY'23 witnessed a 10% y-o-y growth where the bulk of supplies, to the tune of around 80%, were through CIL sources.

“We do not foresee a situation where the power generation will be interrupted for want of coal” said the executive.

CIL's supplies to power sector hit an all-time high of 586.6 MTs ending FY'23, topping the target of 565 MTs by 21.6 MTs. Increase in volume terms over last fiscal was 46.2 MTs.