Adequate coal stocks to meet rising energy needs: Govt | India News
India reached the one billion tonne coal production level on March 20 It has recorded a peak coal production of 1,048 million tonnes in the financial year 2024-25.“This significant milestone signifies India’s growing self-reliance in the energy sector and commitment to ensure uninterrupted energy supply to key industries,” the Coal Ministry said in a statement.The ministry added that increased and sustained coal production levels enabled the country to effectively meet growing energy demand and allowed the power sector to maintain record stock levels in coal-based thermal power plants.Earlier this month, the government recorded 200 MT of coal production from commercial and captive coal mines.While more than 53 MT of coal is available in thermal power plants – enough to meet about 23 days of demand at current consumption rates – various captive and commercial mines have pithead coal reserves of around 147 MT, besides transit, port and storage. According to the Central Electricity Authority, power demand could touch 265-270GW this year – higher coal is needed during the summer months as demand for power increases due to increased use of ACs. Although the share of renewable energy has reached about 52%, coal-based thermal power continues to dominate India’s power generation, with an installed capacity of about 250 GW.
